Chain Reaction
by serotonin
Summary: What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught? A few chapters revamped.
1. prologue

Chain Reaction 

Prologue

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…  


'09

"_Max_!" Jondy yelled, as she jumped into the water, to try and help Maxie get out, just as the beam of light swept over the ice.

Max pulled on her sister's arm, motioning to her that they should stay under the water until the people on the ice had gone. They waited for three minutes, before Jondy signaled that they had gone. They helped each other get out of the ice, and began running toward the perimeter fence once more.

They hadn't gotten far when Jondy stumbled and fell. Max helped her to her feet, and they ran again. But as they ran this time, they heard footsteps behind them. Max turned, and saw that there were seven soldiers following them, and all held tasers. She yanked on Jondy's arm, and they began to run faster, turning as often as they could, trying to lose the soldiers.

Before they could reach the fence, though, another two soldiers appeared in front of them. Before either of the two girls reacted, the soldiers both lifted their tasers, and shot Jondy, making her fall to the ground. Max started to fight, punching one in the mouth, and kicking the others legs out from under him. She was just about to punch the first again, when the first lot of soldiers came up behind her and tasered her. She fell to the ground, twitching, to lie next to Jondy.

The soldiers picked up the girls and carried them back to the base. When the got there, Colonel Lydecker came over.

"Good job men. Did you see any others?"

"No sir. Only these two."

"Dammit. You'd better get back out there and find the others then, and be quick about it. If _one_ of them should make it out..."

The soldiers that had brought in Max and Jondy ran off, to find the others. Lydecker looked down at the girls, and swore.

"That's two more. That only leaves eleven not accounted for."

Swearing again, he called over two more of his soldiers.

"Smyth, Brooks, I want you two to take these girls up to the infirmary. You hear me?"

"Yes sir. On our way."

The soldiers each picked up a girl, and left, taking them to the infirmary, where four of their unit were waiting to be looked after. Another six were waiting in the barracks, not having made it out, and four more had been killed in the chase.

…


	2. the newbies

Chain Reaction 

Chapter one – the newbies

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…

'10

"Maxie. Hey Maxie come here would you," Jondy whispered from where she was concealed in the bushes.

Max sneaked over to the bushes, making sure that the night time guards didn't see her. Her and Jondy had sneaked out of their room earlier that night, and gone for a walk in the woods. They were now hiding in a row of tall bushes near the barracks.

"_What_?" Max whispered, afraid that they would be heard, and put on punishment duty.

"Look over there, near the third training yard. Do you see them?"

'Them' was a group of twenty or so soldiers, all about the same age as Max and Jondy, that were being led towards their hiding place by Lydecker. They marched in formation, in lines of four or five.

"Do you reckon they're the new troops Lydecker was talking to the TAC leaders about?" Max asked.

"No, they're too young to be those troops. Look, the oldest one would only be about 13. That's only three years older than we are. Maybe they're a group of juveniles that are going to be our newest prey."

"Why would they be marching then? No. I think that they're the other X-5 squadron."

"What other X-5 squadron? I didn't know that there was one."

"Me and Blak found out that there was another facility some where near here. And that there was another group of X-5's there. We only found out yesterday though, otherwise I would have told you already."

"Why didn't you tell me this while we were walking?"

"I guess I forgot about it. I'm sorry Jondy. Now lets shut up, they're getting closer."

They waited in silence as the group marched closer and closer to them, until the group was standing about ten meters in front of the bushes that concealed Max and Jondy. Lydecker commanded them to stop, and began talking.

"All right troops, this will be your new barracks. You will get a chance to have a look at them later, because they are occupied at the minute. For now, you will remain in the training yards, until such time as I call you in for breakfast. Do you understand? I will leave the TAC leaders out here, and if any of you should try something funny, they will not hesitate to shoot. Understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" the group chorused in perfect synchronization.

Satisfied, Lydecker walked back towards where Max and Jondy had first spotted the group. There was a tall blonde woman waiting there, looking bored. When Lydecker reached her, they began talking, and after a few minutes, she got back into the car and drove off.

Turning her attention back to the new group, Max saw that they were still standing in the formation Lydecker had left them in. She poked Jondy, and made a motion with her hands, telling Jondy that they would need a miracle to get back to the barracks in time for wake up call. They only had twenty minutes, and the group didn't look like they were going to move.

Jondy turned around, so that she could see the barracks. She looked around for a minute, before tapping Max's shoulder. She pointed at a figure in one of the windows. It was Trix. Jondy signaled to Max that if any one could help, it would be Trix. She could always come up with whatever any one needed, be it an excuse or a distraction.

Max moved beside Jondy, and pulled a piece of glass out of her clothes lining. Jondy silently asked her where she had gotten it. Max motioned that she had found it while they were on mission that day, and had kept it with her, knowing that it would come in handy at some stage.

She fixed the position of the glass so that the moons light would reflect on it, and shine in Trix's eyes. She just hoped that if any of the new group saw it, they wouldn't come investigating. When she had gotten Trix's attention, Jondy took over and signaled to her that they needed a distraction, and pointed at the new group. Trix nodded, and walked away.

Fifteen minutes later, something went off in the middle of where the new group was still in formation. It must have been a smoke bomb or something, because within ten seconds, Jondy and Max couldn't see the group anymore. They slipped out of the bushes, and sneaked around to the back entrance of the barracks, which was on the opposite side of the building to where they had been.

Laughing, Max and Jondy ran all the way back to their barracks, into the room that they shared and hopped into their own beds. They were just in time, because the next thing they knew guards appeared over them, to wake them up.

The guards made them get up, and then walked them over to the shower area where the other girls were already. When the last of guards had left, leaving the girls to get changed, Trix ran over to them.

"What were you doing? You could have been caught!" she whispered hotly.

Max and Jondy looked at each other. Trix was the oldest, and was second in command to Sef. They knew that Trix was only yelling because she was looking after them and didn't want them getting hurt, but they still didn't like being yelled at.

"We were walking. Then Jondy spotted that group that was waiting out there. They were over in the third training yard, and we wanted to know who they were." Max whispered back, glad that they were far enough away for the other girls not to hear them, even with advanced hearing.

"Yeah, and then they came over and the Colonel told them that this was their new barracks, but they couldn't go in yet because they were occupied, and to wait outside. Then he left, I don't know where he went."

"I saw," Max whispered, "There was a lady over in the third training yard, and the Colonel went over to talk to her. Then she left, and I went back to watching the group. Did you see them? They were still standing in formation, even when Colonel had gone. That is until you let off the smoke bomb. Thanks for that Trix."

"It's no problem you two. But what would you have done if I hadn't been in the window?"

"Probably just try and sneak out of there without them noticing." Jondy replied at a normal tone, because the other girls had already left to get to the meals hall.

"We better hurry. Come on, quick, or we'll be late," Trix ordered.

"We're coming, don't worry Trix." Max shot back.

"Good." Trix paused, looking around, before asking, "Who were they?"

"Maxie thinks that they are the other squadron of X-5's."

"What other squadron?" 

"That's what _I_ asked."

"Blak and me found out about them," Max cut in, "There's another facility some where around here, and there was another squadron of X-5's there. I think that these new people are those X-5's."

"But why are they here?"

"I don't know Trix I..."

Max's reply was cut off when a guard walked around the corner and into the hallway. He looked at the three girls and sneered.

"Aren't you three supposed to be at _meals_ already?"

"Sir, we were held up by a group of X-6's that are in the barracks near us. Three of them managed to get out, and we had to subdue them and return them to the barracks." Trix replied.

"Alright soldier. But get moving."

They kept marching until the guard had turned the corner, and was out of hearing range.

"Good one Trix. How'd you manage to make that one up?" Jondy asked.

"It's happened before. Those little X-6's always seem to get out. And we had better hurry up or Colonel Lydecker will yell at us, and give us punishment, which I am sure you two have enough of already."

"Alright already. We're moving," replied Jondy sarcastically.

Trix hit her lightly over the back of the head, and then began to run.

Max stopped Jondy following her with a touch on the shoulder. She leaned in and whispered into Jondy's ear.

"Did you look closely at the other soldiers?"

"No," Jondy whispered back, "Why?"

"They look like copies of some of us. I saw Scout and Cyan and you and me. It's scary Jondy."

"I know, Maxie. But it'll be ok. I'll make sure of it."

Jondy gave her little sister a quick hug, before she asked, "Who else did you see?"

"I think I saw Ben."

When Trix saw that Max and Jondy were standing there, whispering to each other, she yelled out to them.

"Would you two quit dawdling and hurry up. If we're late, I'm going to kick both of your asses."

"I don't know if that's possible Trix, I mean, can you kick two asses at one time?" Max's tone was teasing, but she and Jondy began to run anyway.

The three girls made it to the meals hall with plenty of time left. They each grabbed a tray with some food on it, and looked around for a place to sit. They saw Blak sitting by himself on one of the tables on the other side of the room. It was a table for four, which suited the girls nicely. They had just sat down when Colonel Lydecker walked in. He looked around, gave the command to eat, and left.

Blak, who was sitting beside Max and opposite Trix, began to talk to the three girls.

"Did any of you girls see the new troops that came in this morning? Me and Jam saw them from our room's window. None of the other guys saw them though. And did you see the smoke bomb that went off? Do any of you know who set if off? Or why they set if off?"

"Blak."

"Yeah Maxie?"

"Shut up for two seconds so we can answer your questions ok?"

"Alright. But did you?"

"I did." Trix replied.

"Did what?"

"I saw them. Gem was still in bed though. And Jace and Elia are on the other side of the barracks, so they wouldn't have seen. But Max and Jondy's room is on that side."

"What about you two then? Come on Maxie, did you see them?"

Jondy looked at her sister, and they exchanged a glance. They wouldn't tell Blak about their night time adventures just yet.

"I dunno Blak. Did we see them Jondy?"

"I don't know either. That's a hard question. Maybe if you give us a bit of time to think it over."

"Or he could give us a choice of answers. Then we could narrow it down."

"That's a good idea Maxie. Why didn't I think of it?"

"Cause you're busy _eating _Jondy, and we all know you can't do two things at once. So Blak, um... what was the question again?"

"Did you see them?"

"Who's _them_, sorry?" Jondy asked. She and Max loved to annoy their brothers and sisters by pretending they had forgotten a question, or just by playing stupid.

"The new troops. The ones that came in this morning."

"I can't say. Maxie, do you know the answer? Or can you give us all the possible answers please Blak?"

"Fine, don't tell us. Just shut up would you?" Blak was annoyed that they were hiding something from him. They usually told him nearly everything. But, they were in the middle of the meals hall, with eight other X-5's, not to mention all the other X-series that had meals at the same time as they did. Plus there were TAC leaders stationed all around the room.

When everyone had finished their meals, the TAC leaders gave the order to move out. Each soldier took their tray to counter, and walked out of the door they were meant to. The X-5's were just about to head out of the door leading to the class rooms when Colonel Lydecker stopped them. He led them out to the yard in front of their barracks, where the new troops were standing. He marched them over, and made them stand opposite them. There was twenty-two of them, which was ten more than were in Max's unit.

The Colonel began addressing all of the troops.

"Alpha X-5's, these are the Beta X-5's. They have come from another section to join your unit, and make up the numbers that we lost. You will learn to work together as a team. Now X-5 601 and X-5 598 please step forward."

Sef stepped out of their ranks, while another male stepped out of the Beta unit's ranks. She didn't need to hear Jondy's soft whisper to know who it was. It was Zack, except not. It was a male who looked just like Zack.

"X-5 601 was CO of the Alpha unit, and X-5 598 was the Beta unit's CO, so until such time as I assign new leaders, these two will work together as your CO's. You will respect and listen to both of them, and follow any orders that they give you."

"Sir, permission to speak?" asked X-5 598

"Granted 598."

"What if X-5 601 and I do not agree, sir? Who should our unit listen to then?"

"If you and X-5 601 disagree, then you will forfeit your title. So see that you agree on everything, because a CO should think of what his unit needs first, and you should both be able to agree on that. Now, you are all dismissed. Continue on to the class rooms. New X-5's follow the lead of the Alpha X-5's."

Sef and Trix took the lead, while Max and Jondy took the rear. They felt the new X-5's fall in behind them, and began to march off.


	3. Zack's promise

Chain Reaction 

Chapter two – Zack's promise

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…

'10 (same night as last chapter)

Zack huddled in one of the trees outside of the perimeter fence. He had been gone from this place only six months, but he had to come back. He had been able to find every one of his siblings that he knew had gotten out, all ten of them. But when he had tried looking for Jondy or Max, he hadn't been able to find them. That could only mean one of two things – they were dead, or at Manticore.

So he had traveled back to Manticore, and stationed himself outside of the perimeter fence each night. He had been waiting here for six nights now, and was just about ready to give up, when he heard two familiar voices. Searching around, he found his two favorite sisters walking through the woods towards him. He thought about rescuing them now, and showing them the real world, but a guard walked past, and stood just two meters in front of the perimeter fence, and his hiding place.

'Keep your voices _down_ Maxie and Jondy.' He thought to himself, wishing he could somehow transmit the message to them. He didn't need to however, because all of a sudden their voices dropped, and Zack could only just hear them with his enhanced hearing.

"Hey Maxie, do you think the others are happy out there?"

"I don't know Jondy. I heard that it's scary, and mean, and there's no one to feed you and look after you either. But there's no one to order you around, and no punishment duty. I don't know if it's safe out there."

"Don't worry baby sister. If we get out, I'll protect you." Jondy said as she gave her sister a big hug.

In his hiding place, Zack smiled. Jondy always protected Max, even more than he did sometimes. He knew that Jondy meant what she said, she always promised to look after Maxie, and she always did.

"What do you think they're doing out there?" Max asked.

"I think that what ever they're doing, Zack's looking after them."

"I know that. He was our CO. He'll _always_ look after us."

Max and Jondy had stopped just inside of the tree line, where they couldn't be seen by the guards. They sat down and continued talking.

"Do you think the Colonel will ever find them and bring them back Jondy?"

"I don't know Maxie. If Zack's looking after them, the Colonel shouldn't, but if something happens to Zack, then I don't know. It would be nice to see them again."

"I know. I miss Ben's stories, and Tinga's hugs, and Krit's way of annoying Syl. I even miss Micah flicking us with his fingers. I want to see them again so much Jondy."

"So do I baby sister. But I don't think we will. Not unless we see them when we're older and on missions."

"I know. I just wish I..."

"Yeah. And I hope that whatever they're doing, wherever they are, that they're all ok."

"With Zack looking after them how could they not be?"

"Even Zack can't be every where at once. Come on Maxie, we better get back before wake up call. If they catch us out here, we're going to get more punishment duty."

"Ok."

With that, Zack's two baby sisters walked away from his hiding place, and back towards the barracks. He wondered why they hadn't tried to get away, but then remembered the guards. Sneaking away, Zack left the perimeter, and headed back to his hideout. Before he got far though, he turned around, and looked for his favorite sisters. He could just see them, sneaking around in some bushes.

Silently Zack made a promise to himself. 'I'll come and get you two one day. I promise. I'll get you out of there and into the _real _world.' He wished he could do it now, but he wouldn't be able to do it himself. He would have to come back when he was older, with some of the others.


	4. what's in a name?

Chain Reaction 

Chapter three – what's in a name?

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…

'10 (same day as end of chapter one)

That night, after lights out, Jondy and Max went exploring again. They knew that the new X-5's were bunked in this barracks as well, but they had no idea which ones were where. They decided to search the girls' hallway first and then the boys. Starting at their door, they knew that in the room across from theirs were Elia and Jace, and Trix and Gem were in the room to the left of Max and Jondy's. That only left seven other rooms. Three on their side, and four on the other, and only six would be used.

They decided to begin with the room to the right of theirs. Like all rooms, there was a bed on either side, with just enough room to pass between them. The beds faced each other, so that the toes of each soldier pointed at the other bed. Looking at the soldiers in the beds, they saw that 453 and 211 occupied this room.

"Look Maxie, 453 looks just like you."

"Yeah and 211 looks like you Jondy. Except she's taller than you are."

"So. 453's taller than you as well."

"Jondy. _Everyone's_ taller than me, and I'm the only person you're taller than."

"I know. But look, they're actually sleeping. I mean, if they look like us, doesn't that mean that they were made like us? And wouldn't that mean that they don't need sleep either?"

"I dunno. Maybe they're just pretending."

"Should we go check?"

"Jondy! We shouldn't so that."

"So. Come on, it'll be fun. We can surprise them. I'll wake 453 up, and you can wake 211 up. See what they say when they see us. Please Maxie?"

"Alright. Lets do it!"

Jondy silently opened the door, and her and Max slipped in, silent as ghosts. Jondy went over and stood in front of 453's bed, while Max stepped up to 211's.

"Ready?" Jondy whispered. "On the count of three. 1...2...3. **Wake up time!**"

453 shot up in bed, looking at Jondy.

"211?" she asked, just as 211 asked "453?"

"Ha ha, tricked you. Fooled you didn't we?" Jondy asked, while Max laughed.

453 looked around Jondy, to see 211 lying in her bed.

"But if 211 is over there, then who are you?" 453 asked Jondy.

"I am Jondy, _queen of Jondyland_."

"And I am Max, _queen of Maxland_."

"Queen of where?" 453 asked.

"No where. We're only kidding. You know, a _joke_." Max replied.

"A what?" 453 asked.

"You don't know what a joke is?" Jondy was stunned.

"No, we weren't taught about joke. What is it?"

"A joke is something you laugh at. Something you find funny." Max explained.

"Oh. I know what funny is, but what is laugh?" 453 asked.

"Laughing is what Maxie was doing before. Let them hear it Max."

"But I can't laugh just because Jondy. I need a reason."

"Alright, remember the look on their faces when they woke?"

Max began laughing again, remembering the classic look of confusion that they had both had.

"That, my sister, is laughing."

"Sister." 453 stated.

"Yeah. You're my sister. So is 211 here, and Maxie. All of the other girls are our sisters, and the boys are our brothers. They are our family. A family is a group of people who look after each other, and love each other."

"They probably don't know what love is Jondy," Max said, having recovered from her laughing fit. She began to explain it to them. "Love is a feeling. It's like a burning in your heart that makes you feel good. Love makes you happy, and it tells you to look after the people you love. I love Jondy and she loves me. We look after each other. We are sisters."

"So if I look after 211, then I love her right?'

"Can she make you smile?" Jondy asked, "And when you are hurt, does she tell you it'll be ok, and that makes it all feel better?"

"Yes."

"Then you love her."

"Oh. Does the Colonel love us?"

"**No**. No. He might look after us, but he doesn't love us. He makes us do things that we don't like. He hurts us. Doesn't he Maxie?"

"Yeah."

"Ok. Why do you call her Maxie? And why does she call you Jondy? Is that some kind of rank?"

"No. Jondy's my name. And Max is her name, but we call her Maxie. Don't you have names?"

"No. We are 453 and 211. You have designations too, don't you?"

"Yes, but we only use them when the Colonel or a TAC leader is around. Mine's 210 and Maxie's is 452."

"210, that's only one digit off 211's, and 452 is one digit off mine. Why?"

"Look at us." Jondy commanded, "Can't you see that you, 211, look like me, and 453 look's like Max? We are like twins."

"But, you have different eyes to me Jondy," 211 spoke for the first time since waking.

"You do?" Jondy looked closely at 211's eyes and saw that while they were blue like hers, they were a very dark blue, much darker than Jondy's light blue.

"I guess you do." Jondy stated. "They're the same color as mine, but they are a lot darker. Do you two have the same eye color?" she asked 453 and Max.

Max looked. "Nope. Hers are a light brown. Mine are dark brown."

"Well, apart from that, we look alike. I think that we are made of the same genes," said Jondy.

"But if we have the same genes, then why don't we have the same designation? And why are our eyes slightly different?" 452 asked.

"I dunno. Maybe they didn't want us to look totally identical, and so they changed us a little. And our designations have to be different, because they can't have two people with the same one. It would be too confusing."

"Oh. I get it."

"Would you like a name?" Max asked suddenly. "We could give you one, and you can use it at night, and when we're not being watched."

"Could we?" 211 asked eagerly.

"Yeah. I'd like that." 453 answered. "I want a name like yours Max. Something simple and short."

"How about Sam?" Max asked.

"Sam. Sam. I like it."

"Alright Sam it is. Why don't you give 211 a name, Jondy?"

"Ok. What kind of name do you want?"

"I want a strong name. Some thing different."

"Strong. How about Lex?"

"No. I don't want Lex. Some thing else."

"Ok. I know, how about Toni?"

"Toni. T. O. N. I?"

"Of course, Toni." Jondy replied.

"Now that you have names, you have to help us give the rest of your team names. We can do it now, if you want? Cause me and Jondy are trying to find out who's in which room. You can come with us and help."

"Alright. Come on Toni, let's go."

Jondy and Max led the two girls out of the room, and into the hallway. They pointed out their room to the girls, and then began their mission.

"We should start with that room," Jondy suggested, pointing at the room opposite Sam and Toni's. It was the last one on that side of the hallway, just as Sam and Toni's was the last one on their side.

The four girls walked up to the window in the door, and looked in. Max and Jondy saw two girls, one who looked like Trix and the other looked like Eva.

"That's 717," Sam said, pointing at the one who looked like Eva, "And the other ones 002."

"Do you want to name them? Or should we?" Toni asked.

"Why don't we ask them?" Jondy whispered.

"But, we shouldn't wake them." Sam whispered back.

"That's what Maxie said, but who cares. Unless they would tell on us? Would they?"

"002 might, but I don't think she will. 717 won't."

"Well let's do this then shall we?"

"Ok."

This time, Maxie opened the door, and let the other three in, before entering herself. When she got in, Toni and Sam had already awoken 717 and 002.

"What do you think you're doing 453, 211?" 002 asked.

"We have names now 002. I'm Sam, and 211 is Toni."

"What? Who gave you names?"

"Max and Jondy did."

"Who?" 717 asked.

"Max and Jondy. That's Max, or 452, and that's Jondy, or 210. They already had names, and they gave us one. We wanted to give you names."

"Why would we want names?" 002 asked, even though she had already decided that she wanted one.

"Because it gives us something to call each other when there's no guards around. It's just a name 002."

"Alright, but why not wake up the other's first, and we can do it all at once?"

"Good idea. Can you help us wake them up?"

"Sure. Jondy, Max, do you want to wake up the rest of your unit while we wake up ours?"

"Sure. But only wake up the girls now, we can do the boys after that. The boys are in the next corridor anyway. And when you wake them up, tell them to come into mine and Max's room. It's the one over there." Jondy pointed out the room, before the six girls left to wake the others up.

"Jondy," Max whispered.

"Yeah Maxie?"

"Do you think anyone will tell?"

"I don't think so. Now come on, you wake up Elia and Jace, and I'll wake up Trix and Gem."

Five minutes later, eighteen girls were crowded into Max and Jondy's room. Max and Jondy had moved the beds around so that they were both under the windowsill. When the last of the girls had come in, Max and Jondy had pulled Toni and Sam up to stand on the bed with them. Commanding the other girls' attention, Jondy began to speak.

"My sisters, welcome. Max, Toni, Sam and I have called this meeting for an important reason. Max and I were talking tonight to 453 and 211. They told us that none of you Beta team have names. So we named them. 453 is now Sam, and 211 is Toni. We decided that all of you should have a name, which you can use at night and when there are no guards around. I know that the Alpha team does have names already, but we wanted your help to name them. What do you say girls?"

"Yes," was the chorused reply.

"Alright then. When Toni or Sam calls out your designation, I want you to step up onto the bed, and we will find you a name. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," the rest replied, all of them excited.

"Ok, let's start with oldest first," Sam called, "That means you 717."

717 hopped up on the bed, and looked around.

"Who's going to give 717 a name? Any one?"

"What about Julia?" Jace called out.

"Nah, that doesn't sound right," another Beta remarked.

"I like Julia, but I agree. It doesn't sound quite right."

"Why not Jules than?" Max asked.

"Yeah!" cried the other girls.

"Jules it is. Now, for our next victim, 002. Come on 002, hurry up."

002 walked up to the bed but didn't hop up.

"Come on 002, hop up here!" Jondy mock order.

"No. I already know what I want to be called. I heard the Colonel talking to a lady today, and her name was Aly. I want to be Aly." With that Aly walked to the back of the room, to stand guard at the door once more.

"Ok. That one was relatively harmless. And now we need 735."

When Max saw 735, she whispered in Jondy's ear, "Brin!"

Toni heard her, and asked, "Who's Brin?"

735 looked up, "Brin. I like that name."

"I'm sorry 735, but that's the name of my sister, 734. But you can have something like it." Max said quickly, ashamed that Toni had heard her.

"How about Brit?" Jondy suggested quickly.

"Ok then."

This continued until every girl in the room had been named except one. 657. She hadn't liked any of the names that her sisters had come up with, and had told them to name the others first, before her.

So they had. 728 had become Lea, 581 was Lara, 567 Isis, 122 Jesse, 664 Anna and 712 Sara. They had just called 657 back up when Aly called out to them.

"Guard!"

The girls all laid down on the floor, hoping that the guard wouldn't look in the rooms. Lucky for them, he just walked straight through. When he had gone, the girls stood up again.

"That was a lucky escape," someone whispered.

"Lucky. That's what I want my name to be," exclaimed 657, "But I want to spell it with an i like Toni does. I'll be Lucki with an i."

Now that every girl had been named, most started to go back to their rooms to sleep. Soon there was only eight left in the room, Max, Jondy, Sam, Toni, Jules, Aly, Gem and Trix.

"What about the boys?" Trix asked.

"We could go name them now, if you want to help?" Jondy asked. "We could go in pairs, and take a room each. There are only ten boys I think. That just leaves one room left. We'll figure out who gets that room later."

"We won't have to." Jules stated.

"Why not?" Max asked.

"Because we can't go into 598's room. He'd tell on us. He's too strict sometimes. We can't give him a name."

"But then we can't give 206 a name either." Aly remarked.

"We can give him a name another time. Come on, let's do this quickly."

The eight girls set off, walking down their hallway, and turning left into the boys.

"Here we split up. The Beta boys are in the first two rooms on the left side, and the first three on the right. 598's room is the first on the right. Ok, split up."

Max and Jondy took the first room on the left. They looked in and saw that one of the boys looked like Ben.

"Come on Maxie, lets get this over with. You take the one who looks like Ben and I'll take the other."

Jondy and Max walked in, and woke the two boys. When the Ben-guy saw them, he started talking.

"Oh _goody_. Two little girlies breaking into our room. And to _what _do we owe this pleasure?"

"We want to give you a name."

"A _name_, oh how _sweet_," Ben-guy replied sarcastically.

"Shut up would you. All of the girls have names, and so do the Alpha boys. So we thought that you should too."

"Oh, well _far be it_ _from me to stop you_."

"I know the perfect name for you. Alec, as in smart Alec."

"Alec. I can live with that."

"Good, cause my next choice was Dick!"

Max spun around and stalked over to the door. Jondy laughed at what Max had said, and walked over to her sister.

"Come on Maxie, let's get out of here."

"You named him?" Max asked, pointing at the other guy.

"Yeah. That's Nick."

"Then let's get out of here Jondy. I don't want to have to even _look_ at Alec's face again, let alone hear him talk."

Jondy and Max left, leaving Alec and Nick in stunned silence.

"_Wow_." Alec remarked, "That one sure is lethal."

"Get over her Alec. She doesn't like you."

"So. Doesn't mean I can't talk about her."

"Just go back to sleep."


	5. Max's thoughts

Chain Reaction 

Chapter four – Max's thoughts

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…

'10 (Max's POV)

I think of him every night now. Zack. He was our CO, our leader, our brother. He was my favourite brother. He was strong, and fast and he cared so much about us. He'd do anything for us. I know he would.

Sometimes at night, Jondy and I wander around the grounds, talking about things. One of the things we always seem to talk about is how much we miss them. Eleven of them got away that night, leaving twelve of us behind. I don't blame them; in fact, I love them even more because they were able to get out there, into the real world. Maybe some day me and Jondy will get out of here, and find them again.

The one I miss the most, is Zack. But I guess that's pretty obvious. It's the thought of him that keeps me sane while they try to simplify us. You see, they feel that they made a mistake with us, that they made us too independent. They think that's why we escaped. So now they're trying to reprogram us, tell us that the eleven that escaped are traitors, that they abandoned the mission. But I know that's not true. All they did was get a new mission. It's called getting a life.

So, I sit here in class with the other Alpha X-5's watching slides. There are pictures of all those who escaped, with words mixed in. Words like traitor, snake, deserter, coward. And while I might look like I'm watching, I'm not. Instead I think of all the things we did, before the escape. I think of each of my brothers and sisters that escaped, or were killed trying. And it keeps me sane. It keeps me from forgetting who I am. I am not the only one who does this. I know Jondy sits here thinking too, in fact, I think most of us just tune out to what the slides are saying.

The Beta X-5's don't have to watch these slides. I don't know what they do instead, but they go off to another classroom. Maybe they get free time. Who knows?

But for now, I'll just keep on thinking about my family. These classes can't go on forever. At least, I hope they don't. But even if they do, I'll never watch or listen. I'll never become what they want us to be. If I did, I would be failing my family.

Family. Mine seems to have grown bigger. At first there were thirty of us. Then Cora got taken away, and then Jack got the shakes too bad, and they took him away too. Then there was the escape. It started when Eva was killed. Killed by the Colonel. If I get out of here, I'll never touch a gun again.

We lost 15 in the escape. Eleven of them got away and four more were killed. That left twelve of us. A very small family compared to what we used to have. There wasn't even half of us left. But we managed. Some how we grew even closer to each other than we had before. It was like we were afraid that we would wake up one morning and find everyone else gone. Well it seemed that way sometimes. I mean, they even moved us out of the large barracks, and put us into rooms in pairs. We were lucky that there were an even amount of boys and girls, because they decided that they didn't want the genders mixing at night. So us girls were shunted into three rooms in one corridor, while the boys were placed in three rooms in a corridor off ours.

And then there's the Beta X-5's. All twenty-two of them. That took us up to thirty-four, which is more than we had in the first place. It meant that there were more of them in classes, and it is easier for me to hide. If I want to hide that is.

But sometimes having a large family has its disadvantages. There are times when I want to just be by myself, with no one but Jondy for company. Because if I go somewhere, then Jondy will be by my side. Jondy likes to look after me, and protect me. So I do the same for her. We're inseparable.

I wonder what Zack's doing right now. Knowing him he'll be off saving someone's ass. I wonder who's though. I wish it were my ass out there that he was saving, because that would mean that I could see him and the others again. But if I were out there, then I'd want Jondy to be by my side. I don't know what I'd do with out her.

Oh look, this stupid class is finally finished. I hope we don't have another one for a while. Because then I won't have to dream about the life I could have had if only I hadn't fallen through the ice. The life that the others have. I wonder how they're doing. I wonder what they're doing. Like maybe Tinga's helping other kids, and Zack's watching out for all of them. But the truth is, they're probably living on the run, always looking over their shoulders. Hope is for losers. It's a con job people trip behind till they finally get a grip on the cold, hard truth. Still, I hope that they're out there somewhere and that they're okay.


	6. the mission part one

Chain Reaction 

Chapter five – the mission part one

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…

'10

When Max was woken up one morning, three weeks after the arrival of the Beta X-5's, she was surprised to see that there wasn't as much light coming in from the window as there usually was. Wondering why, she got up and followed the guard into the bathroom. Instead of leaving, like they usually did, the guards waited at the door for the girls to finish. It was then that Max remembered that they were going on a training mission that day, and had to be out in the second training yard straight after wake up call, which was changed to dawn for the day.

Looking around at the other girls, she saw that some of them were just as puzzled as she had been. She quickly made a hand signal, reminding the others that they were going on a mission. She saw recognition on their faces, and went back to dressing. It was only once she had finished that she realised that there were only 16 girls present, instead of 18 like there should be. Before she could ask anyone about it though, the guards ordered them to march to the second training yard.

Once there, the girls were ordered to fall into line with the boys, who had also just arrived. They waited there, under the watchful eye of the guards for five minutes before they saw that the Colonel was coming, and quickly stood at attention, and saluted him. He returned their salute, and stood in front of them, just looking at them for a minute, until he called a guard over, and began talking softly to him. Max could just hear what they were saying, because she was in the front row.

"There's only 32. Where are the other two?" the Colonel asked.

"X-5 728 and X-5 567 are in the infirmary sir."

"Why, might I ask, are two of my soldiers in the infirmary without my knowing of it?"

"Sir, the guard assigned to wake them up took them in this morning."

"Why?"

"X-5 728 was suffering from a broken bone, and X-5 567 appears to have concussion sir."

"A broken bone, and concussion. How did this happen?"

"I do not know sir."

"Then find out and report to me."

"Yes sir."

The Colonel turned back to the troops. He cast a quick eye over them, before pacing along the lines.

"Alright soldiers, you have your first training mission as a full group today. You will be split into four groups of eight, and will stay in those teams for the whole day. Team one will be lead by 598, team two by 601, team three by 001 and team four by 002. Team leaders, you will follow me for debriefing on the mission. The rest of you will be placed in the teams assigned by the guards."

Max watched as 598, Sef, Trix and Jules followed the Colonel back into the barracks. Standing at attention, she waited patiently for the guard to call out her designation.

"You heard the Colonel soldiers, now when I call your designation you will go to the area assigned to you team. Team one will proceed to the first training yard, team two will proceed to the fifth training yard, team three will proceed to the seventh training yard, and team four will proceed to the third training yard. You will wait at your post until your team leader comes and instructs you on what you are to do. Understood?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Ok. The following soldiers are team one; 337, 252, 494, 452, 210, 453 and 211. Team two will..."

Max stifled a groan when she heard whose team she was in. She didn't want to be anywhere _near_ 494, let alone in his team. And 598 was their leader. She didn't like 598 at all. But she marched over to the first training yard with the rest of her team, hiding what she thought behind her soldier mask. When they reached the first training yard, they were ordered to stand at attention until their leader came. It was at least ten minutes later when 598 walked over to them, carrying a map, and a tracking device. When he reached them, he placed the equipment on the ground at his feet, before facing the rest of them.

"At ease soldiers," he ordered, before continuing with the mission. "The Colonel will be releasing a criminal in ten minutes, and it is our mission to track him down. When we find him, we are to discreetly place a tracking device on him, and track his movements for the rest of the day. We are also to map where he goes, where and for how long he stops. If he comes into contact with another team's criminal, we are to terminate. If he reaches the perimeter fence, we are to terminate. If he is still alive at the end of the day, however, we are to capture him and bring him back to base by 1900 today. If we have to terminate him, we are to stay in the field until 1900, before returning. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Alright. I want you to pair up. 494 with 452, 252 with 453, 337 with 211, and 210 will come with me. You will fan out, and begin the search for the criminal once the Colonel gives the begin signal. If you find him, make the discovery signal, and all other pairs are to make their way to you. If the criminal moves while you are waiting for the others to come, then follow and keep signaling, so that the others know where you are. I will give you further orders then. Now, the criminal is being released within this section of the forest. He will have a dark blue cross on the right hand side of his shirt. I want 494 and 452 to take the left hand end of the forest, while 337 and 211 take the left side of the middle section, 210 and I will take the right side of the middle section, and 252 and 453 are to take the right hand end. Ready soldiers?"

"Yes sir!"

"Then get into position."

Max and Alec walked over to the left hand side of the forest, to wait for the begin signal. Max tried to keep as far away from Alec as was possible. She could have killed 598 right then, for partnering her with Alec. She hated Alec with a passion, had done so ever since the night she had named him. Until now, she hadn't had to go anywhere near him.

While Max was thinking, Alec had crept over to her, and silently lifted his hand and waved it in front of her face. When she didn't respond, he flicked her nose.

Max jumped, startled, and then pulled Alec into a headlock. "What'd you do that for, **idiot**?"

"I felt like it."

"Well feel **this**!" Max cried as she twirled him out of the headlock, and kicked him in the stomach. He grabbed her foot, and turned it, making Max fall onto the ground. Max swept his feet out from under him. To her horror, he landed right on top of her, pinning her down. She tried to flip him off, but he pinned her arms and legs, making it impossible to move. Reaching down, he ran a hand over her head, making her furious.

"_Nobody_ touches my hair!" Max cried, desperately trying to get out from under him.

"Oh, _so sorry_. Did I upset poor little Max? Will you go running to Jondy for help?"

"I don't need Jondy to fight you."

"Oh. Is that why you're the one pinned on the ground?"

"**Shut up**."

"_Make me_."

Max was just about to reply, when she heard a shrill whistle.

"The begin signal!" she cried. "Alec get off me, we have to go."

"But I was having so much _fun_," Alec pretended to pout as he got off Max. He held out a hand to her, which she brushed away. "Fine, don't accept my apology. Anyway, we better get going."

"Good. Then let's go." Max got up, and followed Alec into the forest.


	7. the mission part two

Chain Reaction 

Chapter six – the mission part two

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…

'10

"Good. Then let's go." Max got up, and followed Alec into the forest.

She had only taken two steps into the forest when Alec stopped her.

"**What**?" Max asked.

"We need a plan."

"I never would have thought of that," Max replied sarcastically, "Now what do you propose we do?"

"Well, I was thinking that we could split up, but stay within sight of each other," Alec suggested.

"Well, if it means I get a mile away from you, then fine by me."

"A mile... but I said..."

Max cut in, "You said within sight of each other, and I can see you a mile away, not that I'd want to."

"Oh you do, you just don't want to admit it."

"Admit what? That I want to get as far away from you as possible? Because that's all I can think about at the minute."

"Yeah right, you wouldn't."

"I wouldn't?"

"No. You don't want to."

"Oh I do and I will. Goodbye."

Max stalked off, leaving Alec in stunned silence. It took him ten seconds to realize what had happened, before he ran after her.

"Wait, Max, please wait!" he yelled after her.

Max turned to face him. "What do you want?"

"Look, much as you don't want to admit it, we have to work together. And to work together means that we have to be talking to each other, and we can't do that while you're fighting with me."

"I'm fighting with you? You were the one who started this."

"_Me_?"

"You 494. You were the one who flicked my nose and started all of this."

"Oh yeah. I did didn't I 452."

"Don't call me 452 or I'll kick your ass."

"Oh will you now?"

Max kicked him in the stomach, and then punched his left arm. Alec swung his fist, aiming at Max's face, but Max caught his hand, and spun him around so that she had him in a headlock again.

"Would you quit with the headlocks Max?"

"No. Now, how about I let you go, and you promise not to say another word to me for the rest of the day?"

"Sorry _Maxie_, no can do."

"My name is Max. Not 452, or Maxie or anything else. Max."

"The others in your unit call you Maxie."

"They're my brothers and sisters. They are allowed to."

"And I'm not considered a brother."

"Not ever going to happen Alec."

"Why not?"

"Look, how about we just get on with the mission already?"

"Why so anxious Max?"

"Because isn't that the criminal we're supposed to be catching?" Max asked, pointing at a man who was standing in a clearing not far away from them, catching his breath.

"Uh yeah. You'd better make the discovery signal. Then we have to watch him."

"I know that Alec." Max let go of Alec and lifted her hands to her mouth. She made a soft cooing noise, like a pigeon. She repeated it three times, before looking around for Alec. She found him kneeling behind a shrub, watching the criminal.

Max crept over and sat next to him, waiting to see if he had noticed her. When he didn't, she poked him in the side.

"What?" he whispered.

"Just making sure you're still alive."

"Why do you care?"

"I _don't_." Max huffed, angry with herself for making him think that she cared. Because she didn't. Not one little bit.

Turning back to the criminal, Max could tell that he was breathing properly again, and was about to start moving. She watched as he stretched out, and began walking away, in the direction of the perimeter fence. She tapped Alec's shoulder, and signaled for him to start following the criminal, while she made the discovery signal again.

Ten minutes later, the eight of them in their team sat in a tree, watching the man drink from a small stream that ran through the woods.

"What do we do 598?" Cyan asked once the man had sat down out of hearing range.

"We have to place this bug on him, without him knowing. Then we have to track him throughout the day."

"We know that 598, but how are we going to bug him?" Alec asked.

"One of us will have to sneak up behind where he is sitting, and discretely place the bug on his neck. It will attach itself to his skin, and will not fall off. He may feel a slight pain, and turn around, so the soldier who does it will have to get away fast. Understood?"

Alec smiled. "Who's going to do it?"

"452 is." 598 replied.

"452? You mean _Max_ is going to be the one doing this?"

"What did you call 452?"

"Max. Why?"

"Who gave you permission to call 452 by anything other than her designation?"

"I did. So what?"

"So what? You will not use those unnecessary titles. You will only use a soldiers designation."

"We all have names here. Max, Jondy, Sam, Toni, Blak, Cyan and me, Alec. Why can't we use them?"

"Because you will use a soldiers designation when you refer to them. If I hear any more about these silly names, then I will report you to the Colonel."

"Why? Are you _jealous_ because you don't have a name? We can give you one."

"I will not have a name. I am a soldier and I have a designation. I am 598, and your CO. If you persist with this, I will be forced to take you out of the field, and place you into solitary confinement for as long as I deem necessary. I am sure the Colonel would not object. That goes for all you of you. Understood?"

"Yes sir." Barked the other six.

"494?"

"Yes sir. I understand."

"Good. Now 452, here is the bug. Make sure that the criminal does not suspect anything at all. The Colonel said that you were the best at stealth, now show me how good you are. On your way soldier."

Max hoped down from the tree and began walking toward where the criminal was sitting. She was thinking over what 598 said when a hand tapped her on the shoulder. She spun around, about to attack, when she saw that it was only Alec.

"_What_?" she whispered hotly, hoping that 598 wasn't close enough to hear.

"Nothing. I have to wait for you. I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for getting you into trouble with 598."

"Alec. Let me do this, then we can talk."

Max crept over to the tree that the criminal was standing under, and silently climbed up onto the first branch. When she looked around the trunk, she saw that the criminal's neck was just below her eyes. She leant around the trunk, and slowly moved her hand forward, with the bug in her fingers. Stretching, she gently placed the bug on his neck and quickly pulled back, jumped onto the ground and silently ran back to where Alec was waiting for her.

"Now, what were you saying Alec?"


	8. the mission part three

Chain Reaction 

Chapter seven – the mission part three

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…

'10

"Now, what were you saying Alec?"

"What? Oh Max. Come sit down. 598 gave us the boring duty. We have to sit here and map where ever that criminal goes, using the transmitter to follow his movements."

"But aren't they supposed to have that? To keep track of him I mean?"

"They have another one. 598 didn't tell us that he had another transmitter, in case something happens and he needs to use two."

"But why do _we_ have to stay here?"

"Because of what I said before. I'm sorry Max, I wasn't thinking then."

"Do you _ever_ think?"

"You'd be surprised."

"Not much can surprise me Alec. Anyway, what are we going to do?"

"We're going to stay here and do what we were ordered to do, like the good little soldiers we are supposed to be."

"But that's _boring_."

"I know. Can't help that though. Come on, let's sit down."

Max watched as Alec sat down at the base of a tree. He looked so calm and... well... cute when he relaxed. Not that Max would admit that. She didn't even like Alec. Sighing, Max sat down opposite Alec, watching as he looked up at her. She had never noticed how green his eyes were. None of her other brothers or sisters had green eyes except for Ben and Cora. She liked green eyes. They were nicer than blue or brown or grey or black. They were even nicer than Gem's yellow eyes.

Alec stared into Max's dark brown eyes. He had never noticed how brown her eyes were. When he had first seen Max, he had thought that they were black, like Lea's. But he liked Max's eyes so much. They were enchanting. He felt that he could look at them forever.

Max and Alec sat looking into each other's eyes for more that five minutes. It was only when the transmitter gave a soft click that they remembered what they were supposed to be doing. Max turned away, her face turning red. Luckily, Alec didn't notice because he was too busy searching for the map they were supposed to be writing on. By the time he had found it and the pen he was supposed to be using, Max's face had gone back to it's normal color.

"Look," Alec pointed at the transmitter. "He's moving north-north-west along the river."

"_So_?"

"Just thought I'd tell you. We are supposed to be mapping where he goes you know."

"I know. But you can do the mapping. I had to place the bug on his neck. It's your turn to do something."

"Fine."

Alec looked back at the transmitter, and began mapping where the criminal was going. And so Max and Alec sat there for quite a while, Alec mapping, with Max just watching him. Watching how his forehead scrunched up in concentration, and watching the precise way he mapped out the criminal's path. When she caught herself watching him, she looked down at her lap and began counting to one thousand.

Max was half way through her third thousand, when she noticed that her left hand was shaking slightly. Worried, she balled it into a fist, and tried to concentrate on her counting again. She had only gotten to three hundred and two when she felt a tremor run through her body. Her right hand was shaking as well as her left, and even balling them up into fists didn't help. She could feel the tremor coming again, and looked up to see if Alec had noticed. Seeing that he hadn't, Max started to get up, to walk away, but she fell down before she could take a step.

Alec looked at her, wondering why she was curled up on the ground. It took him a moment to notice that she was shaking, but when he did, he dropped the transmitter and map, and went over to her. He gripped her shoulders hard, and gently shook her, trying to see if that stopped her. When it didn't, he got worried. None of his unit had done this.

Max felt Alec's hands on her shoulders, and tried to command her body to stop shaking. When it didn't, she opened her mouth to speak to him. No words came out at first, but slowly she formed the words she was trying to say.

"Alec...can't stop...have to try...and wait...for it to stop."

"What's happening Maxie?"

"Seizure."

"What can I do? Do you want me to go get a medic?"

"No. Don't leave me...please don't...promise you'll stay?"

"Maxie, you need help!"

"No. Stay with me, please?"

"I'm right here."

"You won't leave?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

Alec picked Max up, and walked back over to the tree they had been sitting under. He could feel her small body shaking against his, and wondered if she was going to be all right. Sitting down again, he kept Max curled up in his lap, as she continued to shake. After a while, the shakes lessened, and he felt Max relax. Sighing, she curled up in his arms, and fell asleep.


	9. the mission part four

Chain Reaction 

Chapter Eight – the mission part four

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…

'10

When Max woke up, it was getting dark. She started to move, when she felt arms around her, holding her tight. She struggled, and the arms let go of her. Turning, she saw that she was sitting in Alec's lap, and it had been his arms holding her against his body. Furious, Max jumped up and backhanded Alec across the face.

"What the _hell_ was that?" Alec yelled, getting up to face Max.

"The only kind of physical contact we're going to have."

"May I remind you that you were the one who didn't want me to leave. _And_ you fell asleep in my arms."

"I did not. Why would I want you to stay?"

"You don't remember?"

"Remember _what_? The fact that I just woke up with your arms holding me tight? I don't want to remember that."

"You had a seizure."

"So?"

"You didn't want me to go get help. I said that I would go get a medic, but you said no, you wanted me to stay here with you. So I sat down with you, and when you stopped shaking, you fell asleep. You've been asleep for more than eight hours. It's 1600 now, and we only have an hour left in the field."

"Oh. Where are the others?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"You're the one with the transmitter. You have been mapping what's happening haven't you?"

"Yes. The criminal reached the perimeter fence about ten minutes ago, so the others should be coming back sometime soon."

"Well why don't we go looking for them?"

"Because 598 ordered us to stay right here, and it's a week in solitary if we disobey."

"_What_? A _week_?"

"Yeah. He's decided that anyone who disobeys him will earn a week in solitary. No one can stop him either. The Colonel likes him to punish us as he sees fit."

"But a week?"

"Yeah. It's kind of a long time isn't it? So maybe now that you know that, you won't go disobeying him."

"I'll do what I like Alec."

"I'm sure you will Max. No one can tell you what to do."

"And they shouldn't try."

"Now that you know why we have to stay here, why don't you come sit down again?"

Max walked over and sat down against the tree Alec had been sitting under before. She looked over at him, to see that he was watching her intently.

"What?"

"Nothing." He replied as he came over and sat next to her. "It's just..."

"Just what?"

"These seizures."

"What about my seizures?"

"What are they? How often do you get them?"

"I don't know what they are, and they just happen sometimes."

"Who else gets them?"

"A few of us get them, it's just that some get them more often then others. Doesn't anyone in your unit get them?"

"Not that I know of. Who gets them the most?"

"It used to be Jack. He used to get them really bad, mostly at night though. But he got one during drill one morning, and they took him away."

"Where? For how long? What did they do to him?"

"They took him to the labs, where the cut him up. I was there; I saw them do it. And the Colonel just watched as they killed him."

"Who gets them the most now?"

"I do."

"You?"

"Yes, me. I don't get them too often though. The last time I had one was the night of the escape. Most of the others, the ones still here, don't get them. There are only two others who get them, Jace and Scout, but they don't get them all that often."

"Is there any way to stop them?"

"No."

"So why don't you go to the medics for help?" 

"Didn't you **hear** what I said before? They'd just cut us up like they did to Jack. They'd kill us."

"How do you know that? Maybe they have found a way to stop these seizures."

"But we don't know that. Unless we know that they won't harm us, we won't tell them. You can't say a word of this to anyone."

"But..."

"Promise me Alec. Promise me that you'll won't utter a word about what has happened today."

"I promise Maxie."

"Good."

Max yawned, and felt her eyelids start to droop again. She shifted over so that she could lay her head on Alec's shoulder.

"Wake me before the others come." Closing her eyes, Max drifted into a light sleep.

Alec sighed, and sat as still as he could, not wanting to wake Max up. From what he had heard, Max didn't sleep much, and when she did, she slept lightly. The only exception, it seemed, was after she had a seizure. Maybe he would find a way to help stop Max's seizures. Maybe then she wouldn't hate him so much. He didn't even know why she hated him, she just did. She was so funny when she was angry with him, but he would never tell her that. He would never even hint to her that he did like her, just a little.

…

Jondy watched from the bushes as Max laid her head down on Alec's shoulder and fell asleep. She knew that Max didn't sleep much, which meant that she was either faking it, or she had had a seizure. She hoped that Maxie was just faking it, because otherwise, it meant that Maxie had had to trust Alec. And trusting Alec was something Jondy didn't want Max to have to do.

Jondy sat there for ten minutes, watching Alec and Max. Alec sat totally still, not moving a muscle, except his eyes. And his eyes kept looking at Maxie. Her Maxie. If he had hurt her somehow, she was going to kill him.

The thought of killing Alec made Jondy think of why she was there. 598 had sent her ahead to find Max and Alec, and bring them back to the meeting place. So, not wanting Max or Alec to know that she had seen them, she got up and walked back a ways. When she got far enough away, she gave a slight cough, just loud enough for Max and Alec to hear. Sure enough, she heard Alec waking Max up.

…

Alec looked down at Max. She looked so soft and gentle when she slept. But Alec knew that she was far from being soft and gentle. He had been the butt of her anger too many times just today to find her soft or gentle. If anything, Max was as hard as stone, with a heart of ice. Nothing could crack through that heart, unless its name was Jondy.

Alec envied Jondy. She was so close to Max, got to be partnered with Max, and saw a totally different side to Max that Max never showed any other. Alec wished that Max would trust him, trust him enough to let down the soldier face and show him what she felt. He knew that she didn't like him, yet she had just laid her head on his shoulder and fallen asleep. He had no idea why she had done it, but no doubt she would be yelling at him as soon as he woke her up.

Looking down at Max again, Alec was surprised by how much she looked like Sam. He had never noticed before, but now that he thought about it, Max's number was 452 and Sam's was 453. He had heard some talk that each of the Alpha's had a twin in the Beta unit. While most pair's looked the same, they were still different. The scientists that had made each pair had changed some things about them, so that the Beta person was slightly from his or her Alpha twin. And now that he thought about it, he could name the pairs. There was Max and Sam, Jondy and Toni, Scout and Mac, Jules and...

In the distance, Alec heard someone coughing. Quickly, he woke up Max. When she looked at him, he signaled that there was someone in the just past the bushes in front of them. Warily, Alec and Max walked over and looked around.

Max gave a cry, and ran over to where Jondy was. She gave her sister a big hug and began walking back over to Alec with her.

"What are you doing? Where are the others? What happened? Was it horrible being partnered with 598?"

"Maxie, slow down. I came here to get you and Alec and take you back to the meeting place. The others are all there."

"Well, what are we waiting for, lets go."

"Then turn around. Alec you coming?" Jondy called to Alec, who was sitting under the tree again.

"Yeah, I guess."

Jondy lead the way to a large clearing about half a mile away from where Alec and Max had been waiting. Sam and Toni were standing in the stream that ran through the middle of it, while Blak and Cyan sat on a rock nearby. There was no sign of 598. Max and Jondy went over to talk to Sam and Toni, and Alec joined Blak and Cyan.

Max took off her boots, and stepped into the water. It was so much cooler than the air. Even though it was only spring, it was still warmer than usual. Max sighed, happy because she loved water so much. Jondy took one look at her face and laughed.

"_What_?" Max asked.

"You Maxie, you."

"What about me Jondy?"

"I'll tell you later." Jondy whispered in her ear before proclaiming louder, "You're just so funny Maxie."

"_So_? Anyway, where's 598?"

Sam smiled at Max. "Um. He walked off about five minutes ago, said he was going somewhere. Said he wouldn't be back, but he'd meet us when we get out of the forest. Which we have to do really soon."

"Ok. Then shouldn't we get started now?" Max asked.

"Yeah, I guess so. Come on Toni."

Max, Sam and Toni quickly pulled their boots back on, and, with Jondy, went over to where the boys were standing.

"We better get going now, don't want to be late," Cyan said.

"That's what we were about to say, so lets go." Max replied.

The seven of them headed out, walking along the side of the stream, back towards the base. In fifteen minutes they were on the edge of the forest, looking for 598. When they spotted him, they walked out of the forest and joined him. It was two minutes before 1700 and they had to get back to the second training yard. They got there just in time, and were surprised to see that there were no other teams there. Standing at attention, they waited until the Colonel walked out of the barracks to speak with them.

"At ease troops." The Colonel ordered, waiting for them to do so. When they did, he began talking again. "As you can see, you are the only team to have returned on time. For that, you will be rewarded. For now, however, I wish you to wait here until the other three teams come back in. Dismissed."

The eight of them stared at the Colonel's back, watching him until he went back into the barracks. Once he did, they all found some where to sit, and wait.


	10. the mission aftermath

Chain Reaction 

Chapter nine – the mission aftermath

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…

'10

The X-5s were marching down the corridor towards their barracks after the mission, to get ready for lights out. They were halfway there, when Max started to shake. She was shaking so badly that she fell out of the line, and started convulsing on the floor. The TAC leader began moving toward her, to take her away.

Jondy started to run to her sister, to try and protect her when X-5 598 appeared in front of her and stopped her. Jondy struggled; the TAC leader was picking Maxie up.

"X-5 210 get back in line. **Now**, soldier." 598 ordered.

"**No**." Jondy yelled, pushing 598 out of the way. She ran to Max, and kicked the TAC leader in the head. He dropped Maxie, but Blak stepped out of line just in time to catch her. Jondy faced the TAC leader, who had one hand against his head, and a gun in the other. Jondy kicked the gun out of his hand, and punched him in the nose. She heard the bones crunch, and the TAC leader dropped to the floor.

Jondy turned around, to see Maxie on the floor, still convulsing. Blak stood over her, and the rest of the Alpha X-5's stood behind him. Jondy knelt next to her sister, and whispered to her.

"It's gonna be alright Maxie. We won't let anything happen to you."

She looked up, and saw that the Beta X-5's were standing opposite them, with 598 at the front.

"X-5 210, what do you think you are doing? You will be severely punished for attacking a TAC leader."

"I was protecting my sister. Isn't that what _you're_ supposed to do? You're the CO."

"210 stand up. **I said stand up**. If you don't I will report you to Colonel Lydecker for insubordination."

"I don't care what you do 598. My first duty is to protect my brothers and sisters. I don't know what _your_ first duty is, because you obviously don't care what happens to us. _Don't you know_ that they would take Maxie away?"

"It is not my place to question what the Colonel is doing. Now on your feet."

"**No**."

"She's right 598," came a voice from the back of the Beta X-5's. Jondy looked around, and saw that it was Sam.

"Don't speak unless you're spoken to 453."

"I'll do what I want 598. Jondy's right. We have to protect each other. Don't you see that?"

"When addressing a member of the unit, you will use their designation, 453."

"No. Why should I call them by their number, when I can call them by their name?" Sam walked forward, until she was standing next to Blak, and bent down.

"Is she going to be alright Jondy?" she whispered.

"Soon. I think."

Standing up, Sam turned and addressed 598 and the rest of her team.

"Look around you 598. What do you see?"

"I see soldiers 453. **Soldiers**."

"No. I don't see soldiers. I see my family."

"Family?"

"We may not have been taught that word back at the old place, but I've learnt it here. This is my _family_ 598. Every one of you is my family. Don't you understand?"

"We are soldiers, and we are a unit. _Nothing else_."

"You may not understand 598, but I do," said Alec. He walked out of the group to stand beside Sam, placing a hand on her shoulder. "The only thing we have is each other 598. _Our family._ Like Sam said, and like Jondy said. And we have to look after our family."

The rest of the Beta team was looking between 598 and the Alpha's. The next to step forward was Toni, but once she had made the first step, all of the others followed, until it was only 598 standing opposite the rest of the unit.

"I will report all of you for insubordination."

"You can't do that 598," Sef remarked, "because then you would be disagreeing with me, and you wouldn't be CO any more. Is that what you want? To report us all, and then lose the ability to do that?"

"This is mutiny. I could have you all put in solitary confinement for months because of this."

"And what would you do then?" Jondy asked as she helped Maxie to her feet. "You wouldn't have a unit anymore, which is just as bad as not being CO. So you have a choice. Act stupidly, and lose your unit, or act wisely, and protect your unit. What's it gonna be?"

598 stood there for a minute, thinking it over, before he turned and marched back to the barracks by himself.

Sef stood in front of the unit, and held up his hand for silence.

"Stay where you are. I want none of you to repeat what happened today to any one. This is confidential, and I would prefer it if you forgot what happened. We may be a family now, but we are soldiers, and the Colonel doesn't like us to forget that. And no one is to mention this, in any way, to 598. Understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir," they replied, before most formed two lines again, and marching back to the barracks. Jondy, Max, Sam, Blak and Sef stayed behind.

"Sef, what's going to happen when the Colonel finds out about Maxie's shakes?"

"I don't know Jondy. I don't know. But we have to do something about that TAC leader. You shouldn't have hit him in the nose Jon. But it was a good punch."

"We can put him in one of the nomalies cells," Blak suggested.

"_Nomalies_?" Sam asked.

"Nomalies. They live in the basement. You won't understand until you see them. But that's a good idea Blak. You and I will take him down, while Jondy and Sam, I want you to take Max back to her room."

Jondy already had Max up, with one of her arms draped around Jondy's shoulder. Sam stepped over and placed Max's other arm around her shoulder, and the three began walking back to the barracks. When they reached Max and Jondy's room, they saw that Toni was inside, sitting on Jondy's bunk. When she saw them, she jumped off, and stood at attention.

Sam nodded to her, before she helped Jondy lie Max on her bed. Jondy then took off Max's boots, and her own, before sitting on the pillow above Max.

"What are you doing in here Toni?" Sam asked, "How come you aren't in our room?"

"I was scared. 598 was going into all of the Beta teams rooms, and I thought that if I stayed in here, he wouldn't come in. I don't like it when he yells at us."

"It's alright Toni. I won't let him hurt you."

Jondy laughed. She had listened to what they were saying, and couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" Sam asked, "What's so funny?"

"Us."

"What about us?"

"Don't you see? I am the one who looks after Maxie in our pair, but in your pair it's you that looks after Toni."

"So?"

"_Don't you see?_ Toni and I may look alike, but I look after my sister, while her sister looks after her. And the same goes for you and Max. You two look alike, but you do the opposite."

"I get it."

"Jondy?" Toni asked.

"Yeah Toni?"

"Can we stay in here with you tonight?"

"Toni, don't ask that. We should be getting back to our room now. Goodnight Jondy, Max."

"Don't go," Jondy argued, "You can stay here. I'd like you too. Four people in one room is better than two. You'll have to share my bunk though."

"But what about you? Where will you sleep?" Sam asked.

"Sleep? I don't sleep much. Neither does Maxie, except after she gets the shakes."

"Well..."

"Come on Sam, please? You heard what Jondy said, four is better than two."

"Alright. But only for tonight. And we have to be back in our room before wake up."

Toni gave a small cheer as she lay down on Jondy's bed. When Sam came over, she shifted so that there was plenty of room for her to lie down. But Sam pushed Toni over, so that she was in the middle of the bed, and sat herself at the top, on the thin pillow.

Toni immediately fell asleep, while Sam watched over her. In the opposite bed, Jondy watched over the sleeping Max. She looked up, and caught Sam's eye. They shared a glance, and laughed.


	11. the reward part one

Chain Reaction 

Chapter ten – the reward part one

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…

'10

Just after dawn, Jondy woke Max up, while in the opposite bed, Sam woke Toni up. It was nearly time for wake up, and Sam and Toni needed to be in their own rooms, and Max in her own bed. After Sam and Toni had left, Max slid under her thin blanket, and pretended to be asleep.

Fourty minutes later, all of the X-5's were standing outside the meals room, being addressed by the Colonel.

"In regard to your assignment yesterday, as you would know, only 598 and his team managed to track and map the prisoner **and** return on time. The other three teams arrived at the following times: 001's team at 1940, 002's team at 2010 and 601's team at 2130. For this, each member of the three late teams will be punished. For now, 598 and his team are to proceed to the meals room, and then you have the day to yourself, which you will have to spend outdoors in the forest. You must come back in in time for evening meals, and then go straight back to the barracks. Dismissed, 598 and team."

Max and Jondy smiled at each other, and went into the meals room with the other six. They each collected a tray of food, and looked around for seats. They found a table for eight, and went over to it. Only once they had sat down did they realize that 598 hadn't come over with them. Instead he had taken a seat by himself on the other side of the room. As they ate, they talked.

"What are we going to do for a whole day by ourselves?" Cyan asked.

"We could go back to that clearing we were in last night. You know, the one with the stream?" Max replied.

"Yeah, we could go for a swim." Toni suggested.

"Sounds like fun. I wonder if 598 will join us, or if he'll go off by himself again?" Blak asked.

Max smiled. "Why do we care?"

The others laughed quietly. "We don't. But if he does decide to come with us, it'll ruin the whole day." Blak commented.

"Yeah, I forgot about that." Max stated, making the others smile again.

Once they had finished, they handed their trays back, and walked out to the training yards. 598 meet them there.

"Where are you going soldiers?" he asked.

"Into the forest, like we were told to 598." Cyan stated.

"Ok then, proceed. If you need me, I will be on the edge of the forest next to the first training yard."

"As if we'd want _him_!" Max whispered once they had gotten far enough away from him. "He's horrid."

Sam winced. "You should have seen him back at the old place. He was worse there."

"How?" Max asked.

"Well, he used to be the CO, and no one could stop him from doing anything. If we so much as sneezed during class, he'd punish us. Our director, Renfro, said that it did us good to be punished by our CO, and gave him the ability to do anything to us. If we failed a mission, he would put us in solitary, or on guard duty for weeks at a time."

Max was astounded. "Really? Zack never did that to us. In fact, Zack would rather himself take the punishment than any one of us."

"Who's Zack?" Toni asked.

"He was our CO. X-5 599, 598's clone. They might look alike, but they act totally different."

"He sounds so much nicer than 598. Where is he now though?" Toni asked.

"He escaped with ten others, about six months before you came here."

"Escaped?" Sam asked. By now the seven of them had arrived at the clearing from the day before, and each found a seat on the rocks beside the stream.

"Yeah. In May I think it was. You see, our brother Jack got the shakes one day during drill..."

Toni was puzzled. "Wait a minute. Shakes? Like last night when you fell out of line?"

"Yeah. The shakes. Your body starts to shake; usually the first thing is your hand. Then the shakes move, so that not only are your hands shaking, but your arms and your legs. Then your whole body starts to convulse. There's no way to stop it, and sometimes you keep shaking for ages and ages. Anyway, Jack used to get the shakes the worst. Normally at night, but then he got them during the day. The TAC leader took him away. I went looking for him that night, and what I found was awful."

"What did you find?" Sam asked gently, when Max stopped.

"He was in one of the surgery rooms, being cut up by a team of doctors. And the Colonel was there, just watching him being cut up, and die."

"That is awful." Sam murmured.

"What happened then?" Toni asked.

"Well, a while later, maybe two weeks or so, I started to get the shakes. We were in our barracks, which held everyone, not like the two people per room we have now. We thought it would be ok, you know. I'd had the shakes before at night, and they'd come and go and nothing would happen. But this night, a guard walked in and saw me. He turned, to go get the Colonel, but Zack and Eva attacked him. Eva grabbed his gun, and led the way out into the corridor. This was what we had been waiting for, a chance to escape, to get out of here. But the Colonel came around the corner. And we paused, for a moment too long, and he shot Eva. He killed Eva.

"We looked at each other, and Zack gave the signal to move out. We jumped out the window, Jondy helping me because I was still weak from the seizure. We meet up, and then Zack split us up into pairs, and we went. Jondy and I went together, but I fell through some ice, and Jondy tried to save me. I pulled her in, because there were soldiers coming onto the ice. Once they had left, though, we got out and ran. We didn't make it because we had seven soldiers on our tail, and two stepped in front of us, tasered Jondy, and then tried to taser me. I tried to fight, but the other seven came up behind me, and tasered me too."

"Wow. How many got out?" Sam asked.

"Eleven. Zack, Syl, Krit, Ben, Zane, Tinga, Brin, Cass, Star, Micah and Cali. Four were killed, Tim, Jed, Skye and Lyn. We'd already lost Eva, Jack and Cora. That left the twelve of us. Six who had been captured trying to escape, six who hadn't made it out at all."

"Who didn't make it out?"

"Sef, Trix, Jace, Jam, Elia and Gem. It was me, Jondy, Cyan, Blak, Scout and Ty who got caught."

Sam sighed. "Wow. I wish we had thought of escaping."

"How many of your unit aren't here?" Max asked.

"What?" Sam questioned.

"How many of your unit aren't here. You know, dead or at another facility or somewhere else?"

"Oh. Um, Eight I guess. Like you, we had thirty to start with. But three died in the first year, we don't know what from, three more died in the second year, one died in the sixth year from a bullet on a mission, and another died last year, from lack of air in the tank."

"You guys have the tank as well? How long can you stay under?" Cyan asked.

"Well, most of us could only stay under for about four minutes. Some could stay longer, but no one got more than five minutes. How long can you stay under?" Toni asked.

"Everyone here can stay under for six minutes at least, and the best is ten minutes, which is Max and Jondy. But the Colonel is always trying to get us to stay under longer."

"_Ten minutes?_ Wow. That's a long time. I don't think I could ever stay under for that long." Toni exclaimed.

"We could teach you how if you like. I mean we could help you learn to hold your breath for longer than four minutes." Max suggested.

Toni smiled. "You could?"

"Sure we could. We can use the river now to practice if you want."

"Please?"

"Any one want to join me and Toni in some breathing lessons?" Max asked.

"I will." Sam and Jondy said simultaneously.

"I'll help teach if you want," Blak suggested.

Cyan shook his head. "I'll keep time for you. There's no way you're getting me in water unless I have to."

"What about you Alec?" Max asked.

"I guess."

"How long can you hold your breath for anyway Alec?"

"Five minutes."

The six stripped off their outer clothes, leaving just their underwear on. They hopped into the stream, and walked out into the centre. There, it reached up to Max's throat, her being the smallest, and reached up to Blak's chest, him being the tallest.

Max looked around, satisfied that everyone was ready, and began instructing them. "Now, the first thing is to take a very deep breath. Start at the bottom of your lungs, and fill them up. Once you have taken in as much air as possible, I will give the signal to start. Then, go under the water, and hold your breath for as long as you can, ok? Ready?"

"Yes."

They each drew in a large breath, and, once everyone was finished, Max motioned to them to go under the water. Once under, Max turned so that she could face all of them, and watch how they were doing. After about four and a half minutes, Toni went up, after nearly five, Sam went up. Max and Jondy had no problem, and neither did Blak, but Alec was starting to look blue.

Max motioned to Jondy and Blak, telling them that they could go up, or swim somewhere. Max then thought that she felt something behind her, and turned, to see a large fish. Turning around again, she saw that Blak and Jondy had swum off, leaving a very blue Alec watching her with eyes that were starting to close.

Quickly, Max pulled Alec up out of the water, so that he could breathe. To her horror, he didn't draw in a breath, but just lay in the water, supported by her arms. She dragged him to the bank, and started giving him CPR. After two minutes, he opened his eyes, and started coughing. Relieved, Max slapped him gently across the face.

"What was that for?" he asked weakly.

"For scaring me."

"I didn't know you cared."

"I don't."


	12. the reward part two

Chain Reaction 

Chapter eleven – the reward part two

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…

'10

"What was that for?" Alec asked weakly.

"For scaring me." Max replied.

"I didn't know you cared."

"I don't."

Alec paused for a moment, before answering. "Then why'd you rescue me?"

"Because I don't want any more of my brothers and sisters to die!"

"So I'm considered a brother now?"

"Of course you are. Now, why'd you stay under for that long? You could've _died_!"

"I don't know Maxie...I just didn't feel like going up."

"Why not?"

"I don't know! Would you quit questioning me?"

"**Ok**. No need to yell at me Alec."

"I'm sorry Maxie. I'm just...scared."

"About what?"

"Nothing Max. Nothing."

Max was about to question him more when she realized that Blak, Cyan, Sam, Toni and Jondy had waded through the stream over to the bank that Max and Alec were on. Knowing she wouldn't get anything out of Alec now, she bit her tongue to stop herself from yelling at him.

"What happened?" Cyan asked.

"Alec decided to try and be _dead_ for a change. I had to save him."

"Oh. You alright Alec?" Blak asked.

"I'm always alright."

…

(Around noon)

"What are we going to do for food?" Cyan asked.

Max laughed, "Is that all you ever think about Cyan? Food?"

"Yeah, pretty much Maxie. And I don't know about you guys but I'm pretty hungry, and we've only had one meal in more than two days."

"So?" Max asked. "We can go for five or six days without food. And besides, where would we get anything to eat? You know that each section has midday meals at a different time, and place."

"Yeah, but still...I'm hungry. Anyone else hungry?"

"Nope." Replied the four girls.

Blak smiled. "Just a little. I will live if we don't get food though."

"I could use something to eat." Alec commented.

"You know Maxie, seeing as how Alec just had a near death experience, we should get some food for him. Wouldn't want him to starve to death would you?" Cyan asked.

"If you can find some food to eat, fine. But if you can't, don't complain."

"Fine Maxie. Are you girls going to come with us? We'll only be about an hour or so."

"Nope." The four answered.

"Wait a sec," Max called as Blak, Alec and Cyan began to walk away, "You _could_ bring us back some food if you want. Please?"

"Of course we will Maxie." Alec replied, not being able to resist Max's pouting look.

With that the boys left, heading toward the barracks. The girls watched them for a minute, before turning back to face each other.

"Well girls, what are we going to do?" Jondy asked.

"I kind of want to practice breathing some more." Toni commented. "Does anyone else want to join me?"

"I will." Sam stated.

Jondy shot Max a quick look, before replying. "No, I think I might take a walk."

"Yeah, I might join you Jondy. We'll see you back here in an hour say?"

"Ok."

Max and Jondy set off, in the opposite direction to the barracks, walking slowly. After a while, Max got bored and asked Jondy what was up.

"Why'd you want me to come with you?" Max asked.

"What's up with you and Alec?"

"Me and Alec? What do you mean?"

"I mean, two days ago you hated him, and know you act like he's your favourite person in the world."

"Oh. He's not."

"Not what?"

"My favourite person in the world. You still occupy that post." Max reassured her sister, giving her a big hug.

"Still, what..."

"Me and Alec are friends is all. I kind of got to know him a bit better during the mission yesterday, and while he's still a pain in the butt, he's not that bad for a brother."

"So he's a brother?"

"All of the Beta's are our brothers and sisters, except 598."

"Eww. Never 598."

"What else did you want to know? Surely you didn't want me to come for a walk just to talk about Alec?"

"Well..."

"Please tell me that you have something else you wanted to talk about."

"Do you know what happened to Lea and Isis? They didn't turn up for mission yesterday, and nobody's seen them. You were in the front row yesterday, right in front of the Colonel. Did you hear anything?"

"Yeah. The guard that was waking them up took them to the infirmary. Isis had concussion, and Lea has a broken bone. I don't know how, but that's what the guard said."

"Wow. I wonder what happened?"

"Who knows. Anyway, what was it like being partnered with 598? What did you do while me and Alec were mapping?"

"It wasn't too bad being partnered with 598. He wouldn't let me do much, but there wasn't really much to do anyway. We just followed the criminal all day. Then when he got to the perimeter fence, 598 went and terminated him. He wouldn't let any of us even near the criminal, just said to stay where we were. Then we went back to that clearing. What did you and Alec do? Was he as annoying as he seemed the night that we named him? Did you have to kick his ass?"

"He was annoying. At the start, when we were waiting for the signal, I was thinking and he came up and flicked my nose. So I got him in a headlock. We started fighting, but he grabbed my foot when I kicked him, and dumped me. I made him fall, but he fell on me, pinning me down. Then the signal went."

"What else?"

"We fought like that a couple of times. Then while we were mapping I got a seizure. It was scary Jondy...I've never had one during the day. Do you think the Colonel will find out?"

"I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you Maxie, I really am. I don't know if the Colonel is going to find out. I don't know what he'd do either. I don't plan to find out." Jondy gave Max a hug, noting that Max was shaking slightly. _Probably from remembering what happened, _she thought.

"Come on Maxie, let's go back. We don't want to leave Toni and Sam on their own in 598 decides to check up on us."

"I wonder what he's doing?"

"Probably stalking the Colonel."

Max laughed with Jondy, and they began walking back to the clearing. When they got back, there was no sign of Toni or Sam, until they looked in the river, and saw them there, under the water.

Sitting on a rock together, Max and Jondy waited for Sam and Toni to come up for breath once more. When they did, Max and Jondy laughed at the sight of them. Toni had a couple of leaves off a water plant stuck on her head, and Sam had some kind of weed on top of her ear.

"What's so funny Max? Jondy?" Sam asked.

"You should have a look at yourselves. You look like some kind of Martian, what with the blue lips and plant life growing on you."

Sam and Toni looked at each other, and began laughing too. They pulled the plants off each other, before getting out of the water. Soaking wet, they launched themselves at Max and Jondy, making them fall off their rock. The four girls landed in a wet heap on the ground, laughing their heads off. This was how the boys found them two minutes later.

"What is going on here?" Blak tried to maintain a stern face, but gave in to laughter after a moment. He Alec and Cyan stood together laughing at the girls, until four wet bodies attacked them, making them fall to the ground in a heap, the boys on the bottom, and the girls on top. Sam pinned Cyan, Jondy and Toni pinned Blak, and Max pinned Alec.

"Now what do we have here girls?" Max asked.

"It looks like we have some prisoners." Jondy stated.

"And what are we going to do with these prisoners?"

"You wouldn't do anything to us...would you Maxie?" Alec asked, horrified.

"Well, what do you think girls? Should we punish these prisoners?"

"Come on Max. Do we deserve to be punished?" Blak asked.

The girls laughed. "Hell yeah!" they cried, before picking their prisoners up and dumping them in the stream.

Alec was the first to come up. "What was that for?" he asked, indignant.

"For living." Max replied, face straight.

Alec stared her in the eye for a moment, before she started laughing again. Once started, she couldn't stop, and couldn't defend herself when Alec waded over to her, and pulled her in. As soon as she hit the water, she stopped laughing, and attacked Alec. She punched him once in the stomach, and once in the face, before diving under the water and pulling his legs out from underneath him.

Swimming back to the surface with Alec's legs in her arms, Max saw that Sam and Cyan were having a similar fight in the river, while Toni and Jondy were having a tag team fight on land against Blak. Looking back down at Alec, she could tell that he hadn't thought to breathe before he went under, because he was turning blue again. She let go of his legs, allowing him to swim to the surface once more. While he got his breath back, Max assumed a fight stance, and waited for him to recover.

Once he was breathing properly, he looked up and saw Max in her fighting stance, and assumed one himself. Not waiting for her to lead, he sent a punch toward her face, which she ducked, coming in close and punching him in the stomach. Curling over, he gave the impression that he was injured, and Max backed off. Quickly, he leapt forward, and tackled her, sending them both under the water.

She struggled against him, but he wrapped his hands around her arms, and curled his legs around hers, stopping her from moving. She looked him in the eyes, before letting her head fall back. He made the mistake of leaning toward her, and she sent her head into his with a loud crack. Dizzy, Alec let go of her, and tried to swim to the surface. He found that he couldn't do it, but after ten seconds of trying, he felt Max's arms wrap around his torso and bring him back into the air.

"Stupid."

Alec didn't comprehend. "Huh?"

"Never give your opponent an opportunity to strike harder than normal."

Alec still didn't understand. "What are you talking about?"

"You, idiot."

"Thanks. If you don't mind I think I'll go to sleep now."

"No you don't. Not here. **ALEC!**"

Max grabbed Alec around the waist, and pulled him toward the bank. He was much heavier now that he was unconscious, and Max had difficulty lifting him, so that she could lay him underneath a tree not far away. Once there, however, she laid him down on the ground, with a patch of grass to act as a pillow. Looking up, she saw that the others had gathered around her.

"What happened Max?" Toni asked. "Is he...is he dead?"

"No, he's not dead. He's unconscious."

"What happened?" Blak asked.

"He tried to be dead again, except this time it nearly worked."

"Oh. What did he do this time?"

"We were fighting in the river. I'd punched him in the stomach so he curled up. I moved back, he tackled me, we both went under. He pinned me, so that I was facing him. I let my head fall back, so that I could hit him with it, but he brought his head too close to mine, and I couldn't stop. I hit him pretty hard. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to do it."

Jondy gave her sister a hug. "It's ok Maxie. He'll be okay too. Don't worry about it."

"But what if I did kill him?"

"You didn't."

"Yeah, but what if I had of?"

"Stop worrying about what might have happened Max. Jondy's right, he'll be ok." Blak reassured Max.

"Yeah Max," Cyan put in, "Alec'll be alright, you wait and see. In the meantime, do you girls want something to eat? We found some apples and pears; you can have some if you want. And we also found some really nice brown stuff, but there isn't much of it. Come and have a look, it's just over there in the shade."

The others began to move off, but Max stayed behind with Alec. When Jondy noticed that Max wasn't coming, she turned around.

"Maxie? You coming baby sister?"

"No. I'll stay here with Alec. I think I could use some sleep too. Just promise you'll wake me before we go back in, if I do fall asleep."

"Are you okay Maxie?"

"Yeah, just a little tired."

"Why are you tired? We don't get tired."

"I think I'm still tired from the seizure, and then knocking Alec has made it worse."

"Ok then baby sister. Sleep well. We'll let you two sleep in peace until it's time to go in."

With that, Jondy walked back over to the others, leaving Max alone with the unconscious Alec. Max rubbed her sore head, before lying down next to Alec, and curling up against him, using his chest as a pillow. Before long, she fell asleep.


	13. the reward part three

Chain Reaction 

Chapter twelve – the reward part three

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…

'10

With that, Jondy walked back over to the others, leaving Max alone with the unconscious Alec. Max rubbed her sore head, before lying down next to Alec, and curling up against him, using his chest as a pillow. Before long, she fell asleep.

When Max opened her eyes, she was in a white room, and could hear soft, gentle music playing in the background. Looking around, she saw a man sitting on a chair nearby, wearing a black suit, looking at her. She imagined that she looked a sight, what with being a ten-year-old wearing military fatigues, and having a buzz cut. But, when she looked down, she realised that that wasn't the case. She was wearing a gorgeous, long, white gown, and, reaching her hand up to her hair, found that it was in tight ringlets that reached her shoulders. She was, however, still a ten-year-old.

The man got up and began walking over to her. He looked to be about 22 or 23, with short brown hair, and blue eyes. He stopped in front of her, and Max looked at him for a moment, before taking two steps back.

"Who are you?" Max asked, curious.

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"Who are you and what are you doing in my dream?"

"Is this your dream or is it mine?"

"I do believe that it is mine, sir."

"Oh."

"Would you please tell me who you are?"

"My name's Logan. Logan Cale. What's your name?"

"Max."

"Max..."

"Just Max."

"Oh."

"What's this music? It's kind of...sad."

"Yeah. It's Sibelius 'Valse Triste'."

"Oh."

"Dance with me?"

"I can't."

"Sure you can."

"You see, my problem is that I don't know how to dance. We haven't been taught that."

"Well, let me show you how. Come here."

Logan began to show Max how to dance, and soon they were waltzing around, in time to the music. After a while, however, the music stopped, but Max and Logan kept waltzing slowly, until they heard a voice behind them.

"I'll have to ask you to unhand her, sir."

"Alec!" Max cried, and rushed over to him and gave him a hug. Alec paused for a moment, before putting his arms around Max and hugging her back.

"Are you alright?" Max whispered into his ear.

"Me? I should be the one asking if you're alright. Did he hurt you in any way Maxie?"

"No. We were dancing Alec. Logan taught me how to dance."

"Oh. But...it looked like he was trying to hurt you. I'm just looking out for you Maxie, you know that right?"

"Yeah, I know Alec."

Behind them, Logan cleared his throat loudly. At that sound, Max and Alec let go of each other and turned around.

"Would you care to explain what's happening here Max?" Logan asked.

"This is Alec. He's my brother. He just thought that you were hurting me."

"Oh."

"Yeah. But I told him that you were teaching me how to dance."

"Oh."

Alec smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr..."

"Logan Cale."

"Well, it's been a pleasure meeting you Mr. Cale."

"The same here Alec..."

"It's just Alec."

"Oh. Why don't you or Max have a last name, might I ask?"

"None of our family have last names. We just have our own name. We named each other."

"We? How many brothers and sisters do you have?"

Before Max or Alec could answer, Logan disappeared. Or, more correctly, Max and Alec disappeared and found themselves in another place. Their formal clothes were gone, replaced by simple black clothes, and they could see nothing in the pitch black area, not even with their night vision.

An unknown voice reached their ears, male and strong. "They're around here somewhere Colonel."

"Well find them. **NOW!**" This voice they knew. It was the Colonel.

"Maxie..." Alec whispered, as he drew close to Max, and placed an arm around her shoulder.

"Alec?" Max asked, scared and confused.

"I think we should get out of here. No, I know that we should get out of here, and right now."

Gently, Alec began to lead Max away from where the voice had come from. As they moved further away from where they had begun, they could see more and more. They were in a large building, most likely a warehouse. They reached a door, and, once they had opened it, walked through. They found themselves in a dark forest, surrounded by tall thick trees. They could hear more voices now, coming from all angles. There were many of them, and they seemed to be drawing closer.

Alec began to run, dragging Max behind him. Whenever they thought a voice was too close, they turned and ran in another direction. Soon, they found themselves in a small clearing that was ringed with boulders. They had just stepped into the middle of it, when the found that they were surrounded.

"Well, lookie here, what have we found?" One of the men asked sarcastically.

"You've found them?" The Colonel asked from somewhere unseen.

"Yep. Sure have Colonel."

"Then let out the nomalies."

Max screamed, and Alec looked around terrified. From behind the soldiers came a group of nomalies. They were horribly deformed, and most carried knives of some sort, which they pointed at Max and Alec.

Alec looked around for an escape route, but found none. Instead, all that he could see were the nomalies, so he prepared himself to fight.

A blink later, Max and Alec were on the ground, being held hostage by the remaining nomalies. He and Max had managed to kill about fifteen of them, but there were still at least ten left, plus the normal soldiers.

They could see the Colonel now, walking over to them. Alec placed a protective arm around Max, and stared at the Colonel. He stared back for a minute, before turning back to the leader of the normal soldiers.

"Terminate them."

They found themselves transported once more, this time to an infirmary, where they found the rest of their unit, all thirty-two of them. Each looked as though they were sleeping, but on closer inspection, Max and Alec found that they each had a bullet hole in the middle of their foreheads.

Max, looking at Jondy, whimpered, and felt wetness on her cheeks. Alec came over and wrapped his arms around her, holding her, comforting her, while trying to quell his fear. Max buried her head in his chest, and cried her eyes out.

Underneath the tree, Alec wrapped his arms around Max, holding her tight. Jondy, looking on, felt a surge of terror run through her as she watched the tears stream down Max's face. She could do nothing though, because she had promised Max that she wouldn't wake her until it was time to go in, and Jondy would never break a promise to Max.

Max and Alec stood in the middle of the infirmary for a long time, comforting each other. It was only when they heard a door being opened that they began to move again. Quickly and silently, they ran to the opposite end of the room than where the noise was coming from. They just managed to slip into a storage room before some one walked in the room.

The person walked down the row of beds, occasionally stopping, until they reached the end of the room. They stopped at the wall, standing in front of the window. Looking through the slats in the door's window, Max could see that there were three of them, but couldn't tell who they were.

The first to speak was a loud female voice, one that Max and Alec hadn't heard before. "They've all been taken care of?"

"All except the two rogues. No one knows where they are." This one was male and strong, the man from the warehouse earlier.

"What is the Colonel going to do about those two?"

"Find them somehow. But apparently, the last time they found them, they just disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

"Yep."

The third voice spoke up for the first time, a weak high-pitched female, "I still don't understand why they had to terminate thirty-two of them, just because two of them got away. I mean, eleven of them got away the time before, and no one was terminated then."

"It wasn't because two got out that these ones were terminated. There's something wrong with this group; some kind of seizure thing, and the scientists can't find a way to cure it. So Lyedecker, not wanting his kids to be imperfect, ordered them all to be terminated."

Alec pulled Max back from the door, a look of horror in his eyes. He dragged her to the furthermost corner of the closet, before whispering in her ear.

"They're going to kill us, because of the seizures?"

"I don't know Alec! This is just a dream, isn't it? And besides, nobody knows about our seizures yet, do they?"

"What about last night? That TAC leader that tried to take you away?"

"Jondy said that Sef took care of him. So that means that nobody knows. And besides, it's just a dream."

"I guess that you're right this time Maxie."

"I told you that we can't tell anybody about our seizures, didn't I. This just proves what I said, we can't say a thing."

"Ok. I get what you're saying Max. Let's get out of here as soon as it's safe ok? It's kind of creepy."

Once more, Max and Alec were transported, and found themselves in one of the training yards, watching a group of four-year-olds training in combat. They were all in perfect synchronization, and the Colonel walked in front of them, a pleased look on his face.

Max and Alec looked at each other, and then climbed up a nearby tree, to watch over the training session. After a few minutes of watching, a TAC leader walked over to talk to the Colonel. He and the Colonel walked away from the soldiers, and stood near the tree that Alec and Max were in.

"These your X-7's Colonel?" The TAC leader asked.

"Sure are. They're wonderful aren't they? They are so much more advanced than any of the other groups. Well, except for the X-5's. It's such a pity."

"Excuse my asking, but what's a pity sir?"

"The X-5's were the best, the strongest, fastest X-series that we had. I guess it's kind of ironic that the best group had the worst of malfunctions."

"Malfunctions?"

"Seizures. Unstoppable. Had to terminate all of them. Except for the ones who got out. Those were the lucky ones."

"Lucky ones? But sir..."

"They were lucky because none of them had the seizures. Otherwise we would have found them dead already, from the seizures."

"Oh. I get it sir."

"I'm sure you do. Now, Smyth, what did you want?" The Colonel asked, leading the TAC leader away, out of hearing range.

"Am I going to die Alec?"

"What?"

"Am I going to die?"

"Everyone dies."

"I mean am I going to die soon, because of my seizures?"

"No Maxie. I won't let that happen to you."

"Good."

Alec gave Max a hug, before they began to climb down the tree once more. Once on the ground, they looked around, unsure of what to do. Instead of going anywhere, Max pulled Alec around to the other side of the tree, where they sat down. Max rested her head against Alec's shoulder, and Alec gently placed his arm around her shoulder. They sat there for more than an hour, just thinking their own thoughts.

Suddenly, two X-7's leapt out of the bushes in front them, pointing guns at their chests.

Startled, Max woke up, panting slightly. Next to her, she felt Alec wake up too.

"Alec?" Max whispered.

"Yeah Maxie?"

"I'm scared."

"Don't worry Maxie. I'll look after you." Alec replied, beginning to get up.

"Please don't move Alec. I'm comfortable here."

"Ok. But only for you Max."

Alec settled down once more, with his arms around Max, content to lie in the cool shade. Max laid her head down on Alec's chest once more, and fell into a deep dream-less sleep. That was how Jondy found them two hours later, when it was time to go in.


	14. deja vu

Chain Reaction 

Chapter thirteen – Déjà vu

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…

'10

The X-5s were marching down the corridor towards their barracks to get ready for lights out, after a day of either reward or punishment. They were halfway there, when Max started to shake. She was shaking so badly that she fell out of the line, and started convulsing on the floor. The TAC leader began moving toward her, to take her away.

Jondy started to run to her sister, to try and protect her, when 598 appeared in front of her and stopped her. Jondy struggled; the TAC leader was picking Maxie up.

"X-5 210 get back in line. **Now**, soldier." 598 ordered.

"**No**." Jondy yelled, pushing 598 out of the way. She ran to Max, and kicked the TAC leader in the head. He dropped Maxie, but Alec was there, next to Jondy, to catch her. Jondy faced the TAC leader, who had one hand against his head, and a gun in the other. Jondy kicked the gun out of his hand, and punched him once in the stomach, and then in the throat. She heard the bones crunch, and the TAC leader dropped to the floor, writhing in pain.

Jondy turned around, to see Maxie in Alec's arms, still convulsing. Blak stood next to Alec, and the rest of the X-5's stood behind him. Jondy went to her sister, and whispered to her.

"It's gonna be alright Maxie. We won't let anything happen to you."

She looked up, and saw that the 598 were standing opposite them.

"X-5 210, what do you think you are doing? You will be severely punished for attacking a TAC leader again."

"Do we have to go through this again 598? I was protecting my sister. Isn't that what _you're_ supposed to do? You're the CO."

"210 come here. I said come here. If you don't I will report you to Colonel Lydecker for insubordination."

"I don't care what you do 598. _Don't you know_ that they would take Maxie away?"

"It is not my place to question what the Colonel is doing. Now come here."

"**No**."

Alec smiled, "Don't make us go through this again 598. It's not worth it. You won't win against us. We are a family, no matter what you say, and we are going to protect each other, no matter how much you try to stop us. Go tell the Colonel on us if you really want to, it won't matter. You can't stop us from being a family, and looking out for each other. Why bother trying?"

"You know that I can report you to the Colonel for saying that, don't you 494?"

"_Yes sir_!" Alec replied sarcastically, "Now why don't you run along and do what you've threatened?"

598 looked from Alec, to Jondy, to Sef, and, seeing the identical looks of hatred on their faces, turned and marched away. Before he got more than ten steps though, he turned around to face them again.

"I won't forget this. Or what happened the last time. Don't think I'll forget."

With that, he turned once more and marched back off to the barracks.

Sef stood in front of the group once more, holding his hand up for silence. Only once everyone was silent, did he begin talking.

"Again, no one is to mention this activity to anyone. If you do, I will punish you. And don't think that 598 will forget this. Don't think that he will not punish us. He will make us remember, when all we want to do is forget. He will make us pay for standing up to him. I just pray to the Blue Lady that when he does, we can overcome whatever he throws at us. That no matter what he tries to do, we will not falter, we will not fall. We will not fail our family. We will not turn out like 598, concerned with nothing but blind duty to Manticore and the Colonel, thinking nothing of his family and the repercussions that might occur. It is a wish for the new year that will come soon enough, that we will become stronger no matter what anyone might throw in our way. I want all of you to return to the barracks, and stay in your own rooms until wake up call tomorrow. Do not let anybody in, no matter who it is. Do not go wandering; do not seek out adventure. You are all dismissed, except Alec, Max, Jondy, Blak, Trix, Jules and Scout."

The 23 remaining soldiers formed back into two lines again, and marched back to their barracks. Sef waited until they had gotten out of hearing range before speaking to those left.

"We need to do something about Maxie's seizures. They're getting bad, nearly as bad as Jack's were before he got taken away. We can't keep pretending that they don't exist, we need to find a way to stop them."

"But I thought that Max said there was no way to stop them." Alec interrupted.

"There is no way that we know of," Sef explained, "but that doesn't mean that there isn't a way. We need to do some recon, and we need to do it now. First, Blak and I need to dispose of the TAC leader. I think we'll just leave him in one of the nomalies cells again. Meanwhile, I want you to split up and head toward the infirmaries. Alec will you carry Max?"

Alec nodded.

"Good. Then you take Max and Jondy, and Trix, Jules and Scout go together. Head straight to the infirmaries, but when you get there, I want your group, Alec, to take the left-hand side rooms, while Trix's group takes the right-hand side rooms. If you find anything, have one member of your group signal the others, while the other two stay as guards. Use the 'danger' signal, it's the quietest and least obvious. Any questions? Good then let's begin."

Blak and Sef quickly picked up the TAC leader, and headed to the basement, while the other six headed toward the infirmaries. When the reached them, they split up and headed in opposite directions.

The first door that Max, Alec and Jondy came to was locked. Jondy pulled a piece of metal out of one of her pockets, and picked the lock. Stepping inside, they found themselves in a surgery room, bare of everything but equipment. They looked around for any cupboards, but not finding any, they left. The next two rooms were the same, empty surgery rooms, but the one after that was an office. They stepped inside, and Alec placed Max in one of the chairs, making sure she couldn't fall off.

Alec started looking through the drawers of the desk, while Jondy looked through the filing cabinets. Finding nothing in them, they had just booted up the computer when a voice stopped them.

"What are you doing in my office?"

Alec and Jondy looked up, startled, to find a tall, brunette woman standing in the doorway, pointing a gun at them. They were just about to make a break for it but realized that they wouldn't have enough time to get Max out as well. Instead, Alec stood up straight, clipping a salute at the woman.

"Ma'am, we are on a recovery mission, and were told that no one would be in this wing tonight."

"Mission? Good try soldier. You're an X-5, that's plain to see, and all the world knows that most of the X-5's disgraced themselves during their last mission. Though looking at you two, I seem to recall seeing you having a bit of relaxation time today. And as for this wing being unoccupied, there is always some one around here somewhere. Now, soldier, tell me what you are really doing in my office."

Alec was just about to reply when Max fell off the chair Alec had placed her on, shaking furiously. As soon as the woman saw her, she softened, and walked over to her. Before she could reach Max however, Alec and Jondy stood in front of her, to stop her.

"Move aside soldiers. I said move."

"No!" Jondy near screamed, "We won't let you hurt Max. You can't kill her. Me and Alec won't let you."

"So you have names do you. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. What's your name sweetie?"

"Jondy."

"Well, Jondy, I won't hurt Max. I'm just going to try and help her."

"How do we know that though ma'am?" Alec asked.

"My name is Dr. Alynyn Schinkoff. You can call me Aly."

Jondy frowned. "Aly?"

"Yes, Aly. That's the name that I use instead of Alynyn, my nickname."

"So it's kind of like us calling Max, Maxie?"

"Yes. It is. Now, will you let me try and help your Maxie?"

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know just yet. I have to try and see what's wrong first."

"You won't cut her up?"

"Cut her up? Why would I do that?"

"Because that's what they did to Jack when he got the shakes."

"Jack. You mean 417?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Is Max suffering from the same thing as Jack then?"

"Yes."

"Then I think I know how to help her. Just let me see her."

Alec and Jondy moved aside, allowing Alynyn to pass through, and began inspecting Max, whose shakes had lessened, but weren't gone completely. After a moment, she stood up, and addressed Jondy and Alec, who were standing close to her, watching what she had been doing.

"Jondy. Will you go to the room next door on your left, and on the desk you will find a book by Sara Hines. I can't remember what it's called but it's large and thick, and the cover has plants on it."

Jondy ran to do so while Alynyn and Alec stood watching over Max.

"Tell me something Alec, how long has Max had these seizures?"

"I don't know. I'm part of the Beta unit, and we only came here about a month ago, so I don't know much."

"Ok then. Do you know if she's had any recently?"

"Yes. She had one yesterday during mission, one last night after mission, and one just before now. But she said that the last one before that was the night of the escape, which I think was about seven months ago."

"Three in two days? That's bad. Would Jondy know how long she's had them for?"

"Yes. Jondy's been here all along."

"I'll ask her then."

"Ask me what?" Jondy questioned as she walked in the door, book in hand.

"How long has Max had these seizures?"

"For as long as we can remember. We've all had them at some point, but Max, Jace and Scout are the only ones who have them at the minute." She replied, handing Alynyn the book.

Alynyn stood there for a moment, flicking the pages, before settling on one, and reading it quickly. Once finished, she snapped the book shut, and handed it to Alec.

"Take this and put it back on the desk next door. Then go through the doorway at the end of this hall. There you will find a lot of bottles and things. I need you to find two of them. One will be labeled Tryptophan and the other Soya Beans. Find them and bring them back to me."

Alec ran out the door, leaving Alynyn and Jondy in silence.

"How old are you Jondy?" Alynyn asked after ten seconds of silence.

"I'm ten."

"Are all of you the same age?"

"Don't you know?"

"I don't know much about anyone except the X-6 series. I came in just before they were born."

"Oh. Well, no. We aren't all the same age. The oldest was Zack, and he'd be twelve if he were here. Me and Max are the youngest."

"What about Alec? How old is he?"

"I don't really know. I think he's the same age as Ben though, which would make him twelve as well."

"Don't you know when your birthdays are?"

"Birthdays?"

"The day you were born. Every year, on the day you were born, you get to celebrate, and you get presents, and parties and cakes. Don't you know any of this?"

"No. We aren't told anything about birthdays or presents. We only know that at the end of each year after tests we are a year older."

"Wouldn't you like to know your birthday?"

"I don't see how I could. But yes I would like to know."

"Well I think I might be able to try. We can have a look after we help Max. And here comes Alec now."

Alec handed the two bottles over to Alynyn, who knelt beside Max once more. Opening one of the bottles, she took out three tablets and tried to open Max's mouth to get them in. When she couldn't, she asked Jondy and Alec to help, finally getting all three of the tablets down Max's throat. Slowly, but quicker than before, Max's shakes lessened, until she was able to sit up, and look around.

"Where am I?" Was the first question Max asked.

"You're in one of the offices."

"Whose?"

"I am Dr. Alynyn Schinkoff. This is my office."

"Okay. I think I'll go back to sleep now." And with that, Max laid back down and went to sleep.

Sitting down, Alynyn gestured for Jondy and Alec to do the same, before explaining to them.

"Max has a chemical imbalance in her brain. I am sure that all of you have it as well. Her brain doesn't create as much serotonin as is required, and that causes the seizures. There is a substance called tryptophan that will help make more serotonin, and help control the seizures. Now, I can give you a small amount of tryptophan, but I can't keep supplying you with it, because the officials might notice just how much goes missing. However, you can find tryptophan in soya beans, which can be found in some parts of the forests. Tryptophan can also be found in other things, like milk, but that isn't as easy to find."

"So all we have to do is find these soya beans, and Maxie will be alright?" Jondy asked.

"Basically. They're not hard to find, so it shouldn't be a problem. I'd have to warn you though, that whenever you find some, stock up on it, because you never know when a seizure might come on, and if you don't have any soya beans, then Max could get caught."

"Ok. We should be going now though. It's getting late, and the guards might come."

"Yes, you should go. But first, let me find out your birthdays. It'll be my pleasure."

"Birthday?" Alec asked.

"The day you were born." Jondy replied while Alynyn sat down behind her computer and began to work. Ten minutes later, she had results.

"Ok. It says here that you, Jondy were born on the 1st of June 2000, and Max was born the next day, the 2nd of June. You, Alec, were born on the 13th of April 1998. Who else's birthdays do you want to know?"

"Could you give us a printed list?" Jondy asked.

"Sure. I can't give it to you know though, but if you come back in two nights time, at 2100, I will give it to you then, as well as some more tryptophan."

"Thank you, ma'am. We will see you then."

Alec picked up the sleeping Max, and, with Jondy leading the way, went back to the point where they had split up from the other three. Alec sent Jondy on, to find the others, while he waited with Max. Not long after, Jondy returned, Trix, Jules and Scout following closely. Nodding to them, Alec led the way back to the barracks, to Max and Jondy's room. There they found Blak and Sef waiting for them.

"What happened? Did you find anything out?" Blak asked impatiently.

Alec laid Max down on her bed, while the other group reported.

"We didn't find anything." Trix stated. "Just a bunch of surgery rooms, and a couple of offices with no information in them. But Alec, Jondy and Max did."

"What did you find?" Sef asked.

Alec turned around to face them again, and began speaking. "Well, Jondy and I were in one of the offices, but we got caught by the doctor who owns the office. She was really nice, and she helped us. She said that Max has a chemical imbalance in her brain, and it doesn't make enough serotonin. She said that most of us have the same thing, but Max just has it on a larger scale. She said that to treat it all we had to do was eat something that has tryptophan in it, and it will help make the serotonin, and control the seizures. She gave us some tryptophan tablets, and some soya beans, because soya beans contain tryptophan. So does milk, but you can't find that in the forest like you can the soya beans."

"So all we have to do is keep a stock of tryptophan and soya beans, and it will all be alright?" Trix asked.

"Yep."

"Then let's all get to bed. Some of us need some sleep." Sef put in, as he ushered everyone out the door. Before he left though, he turned and spoke to Jondy and Alec, who hadn't left yet.

"Why do I feel like you're hiding something from me?"

Alec smiled. "Because we are oh all mighty leader."

"Don't be an idiot Alec. Will you tell me?"

"I will," Jondy said, "The doctor, Alynyn, said that she could find out our birthdays for us."

"Our birthdays? But I didn't think anyone knew when they were?"

"You know what a birthday is?"

"Kind of. One of the doctors was talking about it while I was in the infirmary two week ago. It's when you celebrate the day you were born, with all your family and friends."

"And you get presents, and cakes and parties. And Dr. Alynyn can tell all of us ours. She's already told me and Alec and Max ours. In two nights time, we have to go back and get some more tryptophan off her, and she will give us a print of our birthdays."

"Ok. I guess that in a short brutal life, you gotta seize any chance you can to celebrate. Especially when you're one of us. But I have to go now, and so do you Alec. Goodnight." Sef called as he walked out the door, and back to his room.

Before Alec walked out of the door, he placed a feather light kiss on Max's forehead, and then walked over to Jondy. Before he could do anything, Jondy had wrapped her arms around him, in a tight hug. He hugged her back, listening to her heavy breathing.

"Alec," she whispered after a moment.

"Yes Jondy?"

"Were you scared tonight? I mean when Max got her seizure?"

"I was scared out of my wits. I guess that you were too."

"Yeah. I won't let anything happen to Maxie. I won't let her get hurt by anyone or anything."

"I know. And I will try to do the same thing. Now, goodnight Jondy. You should get some sleep."

"I'll try. Goodnight Alec. And thank you. For looking after Max."

"Anytime, Jondy. Anytime."


	15. the fight aka going insane

Chain Reaction 

Chapter fourteen – the fight a.k.a. going insane

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…

'10

Zack walked down the back streets of Portland, avoiding sight where possible. The Pulse had hit Portland hard, and it was a ruins at the moment. The perfect place for an escaped X-5 to hide. Well, apart from the fact that there were already three X-5's here, which was too many for one town.

He headed down an alley, and found the warehouse that he was looking for. Quickly scaling the side, he found a skylight to look through. Looking down, he saw one X-5 lying underneath a table, another on top of the table and the third was curled up in half of a wooden box.

Stupid he thought to himself. Never go to sleep without having a lookout, you never know who might come knocking. But as he thought this, a movement caught his eye. There were at least two other X-5's in the building, acting as the lookouts.

Zack was furious. He'd told them not to be in any more than a pair, but five? Five was just over the top. He couldn't handle it. He had to get in there, and talk to them and try to get some of them to go away. Now. Or else someone was going to get killed. **Or** he would just go in and kick all their asses, and send them on their way. But that wasn't nice.

To hell with being nice he thought all of a sudden, as he jumped through the skylight, landing nimbly on his feet. The three sleeping X-5's woke with a start, and saw their CO standing in the middle of the room, glass all around him. And from the stance he took, and the set of his jaw, they could tell that he was furious.

The two that were on lookout duty came running back to the sleeping area, to find out what was going on. They took one look at Zack, before running around him to join the other three. Instead of fighting them, however, Zack started to talk.

"Tinga. Krit. Syl. Micah. Star. What are you doing here? **Together**?"

"Well..."

"Umm..."

"You see..."

"No excuses!" Zack yelled before attacking them. He had Tinga and Syl on the ground with two simple kicks, before the other three could react. He quickly elbowed Micah in the stomach, and then in the head, making him fall down as well. It took just one kick to the knee to send Krit to the ground, making a pile of four X-5's jumbled up on the floor, too tangled to get up.

Star moved away from her brothers and sisters, drawing Zack's attention away from them. She took up a fighting stance, and waited for Zack to make the first move. Sure enough, he leapt forward, sending a punch toward her face. She quickly blocked it, and brought her knee up into his stomach. He backed off, before coming in again with a rapid series of punches, aimed this time at around her chest. She blocked most, but one managed to clip her right eye, and another caught her in the stomach. Having just eaten, she threw up what was in her stomach, making sure that Zack caught the brunt of it. Wiping it away from his face, Zack kicked out at her knees, and hit just below, breaking her left leg. She went down, but sent out her right leg, making Zack fall down too, on top of her. She quickly rolled them over so that she was on top, pinning him down. She backhanded him across the face, hard, knocking him unconscious.

Trying to get up, Star managed to place her weight on her right leg, before attempting to move her left. She couldn't move it, and fell back down, her landing cushioned by Zack's unconscious body.

"Nice to know you're good for something," she murmured to him, before trying to get up again.

Placing all of her weight on her right leg, she stood, and gently placed her left leg on the ground. Biting her lip in pain, Star started to walk. She managed to walk over to the others without crying out in pain, and, once there, she rested her weight on her right side, but made sure that the others couldn't tell that she was hurt. Waiting for them to untangle themselves, she looked back to make sure that Zack wasn't moving at all. Satisfied that he was dead to the world, she turned to face the others again, who had gotten up, and were waiting for her to speak.

"You all alright? Nothing hurt seriously or permanently? Star asked.

"Nothing wrong with me or Tinga, he just got us while we were still half-asleep." Syl replied.

"Nothing wrong here either." Krit commented.

Micah gave a wince, "Just a bit of a sore head for me. Nothing major. What about you Star? You fought with him most, are you ok?"

"Me? I'm fine. Nothing wrong with..." Star trailed off, before collapsing.

Micah caught her before she hit the ground, and lifted her onto the table. Motioning Tinga to come have a look at her, he stepped aside. Tinga ran expert hands over Star's head, arms and torso, before looking at her legs. As soon as she saw her left leg, she winced, and called Micah over.

"Look at her left leg. Zack broke it. I can't believe that she was able to walk on it."

"You know Star though Tinga. She'll still be walking around when she's dead she's that stubborn. You can't expect something as little as a broken leg stop her."

"Little?" Tinga half-screeched. "Zack broke her leg and you call that little?"

"I don't. But Star would. You know that Tinga. She doesn't let anything or anybody get in her way. Now, what are we going to do? I mean we can't exactly go to the hospital can we?"

"No. But I have some things here. I can strap it up and put it in a splint. But we might have to risk going into the hospital. I don't know how bad this is."

"I suppose. But if we do, neither Star nor Zack will like it."

"I don't care how much they might not like the idea, it might be our only choice."

"I understand Tinga."

While Tinga and Micah strapped Star's leg and placed in it a splint, Syl and Krit tied up Zack. Bringing him over to where Tinga and Micah were, they placed him on a chair, and then re-tied his hands behind the chair.

"What are we going to say to Zack when he wakes up?" Syl asked.

"I don't know, but let's hope Star wakes up first. He might listen to her." Tinga replied.

"Yeah. Star is the only one who can get Zack to change his mind on anything. Or get him to back down. Well...except for Max." Micah put in.

Syl winced. "I wonder what happened to our baby sister Maxie. And Jondy. Zack never even told us if they got out. I miss them."

"So do I Syl. I think all of us do." Krit commented.

"I miss them all. Not just Maxie and Jondy, but Trix and Blak and Sef and all the others too." Tinga said.

Syl nodded. "That's how we all feel Tinga. We weren't playing favourites or anything. It's just that..."

"I know what you mean." Tinga interrupted. "I just had to say it out loud. I guess that I still haven't gotten over the fact that we got out of there, and left the others behind. And that we might never see those still in there again, that they might be dead for all we know."

"Who's dead?" Star asked weakly, trying to sit up on the table. Micah quickly went to her side, and helped her.

"Nobody's dead at the minute. We were just thinking about the escape."

"Oh. Is Zack awake yet? Actually, how long have I been asleep?"

"Not long baby sister. But long enough for me and Tinga to strap and splint your leg. Why didn't you tell us that it was broken? And why were you walking on it? You could have damaged it even more!" Micah's voice was nearly a scream.

"Shh Micah. I'm fine. It's only a broken bone; it's not like I'm dead or anything. I'm fine."

"You see, Tinga. I told you she wouldn't think this was major, didn't I? Does anybody care that Zack just broke Star's leg?" Micah screamed.

"Calm down Micah. Please?" Star asked.

"What? Our CO just broke your leg and you're asking me to calm down? Am I the only sane person here?"

"You really need to calm down Micah. I've broken my leg before. It doesn't hurt that much and it won't take long to heal. I've had worse before."

"You still don't see my point. Our CO..."

"I know Micah. I know that Zack just broke my leg. But what can we do about it? He told us not to gather in any more than pairs, and there are five of us here. He's just trying to protect us."

"Protect us? Hardly."

"Micah. Shut up. Now." Star ordered.

"Why..."

"Just shut up."

"Where...where am I?" Zack called from behind them.

Tinga, Syl and Krit turned around to face him, while Micah gently helped Star off the table, and onto the floor, to stand up in front of his chair.

"What are you doing Star? Why do you have that splint on? Did Lydecker find you? Is he onto us?"

"No Zack." Star replied. "You did this. You came in through the roof and attacked us. You didn't hurt Tinga, Syl or Krit, but you gave Micah a nice bump on his head."

"What about you? What..."

"You broke my leg."

"I what?"

"You broke my leg."

"But...how? Why?"

"I don't know Zack. Why don't you tell us why?"

"I...I don't remember any of this. I can't..."

"Sure you can Zack. It's a simple matter of thinking about it. Then you open your mouth and talk. You know, make a sound that makes sense to other people?"

"I know that, but...I don't remember any of this. I didn't do this. I can't have. Please tell me that I didn't."

"Much as I'd love to Zack, I can't. Because you did do this."

"But..." Moaning, Zack lowered his head into his chest.

"Zack? Zack?" Star called, but Zack wouldn't lift his head. Instead, Tinga walked over to him, and, placing a hand under his chin lifted his head to face Star again. With a jolt, Star realized that Zack was crying.

"Zack?" she asked gently.

He looked her in the eye for one moment, before the tears began flowing again. Star waited for them to stop, before asking anything else.

"Zack?"

"I hurt you. I didn't mean it Star. I didn't mean to hurt you baby sister. I promised that I would never hurt any of you, and then I broke your leg. I didn't mean to do it."

"I know Zack. I understand. But we need to know why you're here."

"I hurt you, even after I promised myself that I wouldn't. That I would never hurt any of you, in any way. I'm you're CO! I shouldn't have done it. I shouldn't have hurt you. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry Star. I'm sorry for hurting you, for everything. I just so sorry."

"I know Zack, and I understand. But please. You need to try and remember why you came here. Please?"

"I'm sorry." Zack whispered before closing his eyes, and letting his head fall backward.

"Star? What do we do?" Krit asked.

"Well, first we need to untie Zack, and put him somewhere more comfortable. I don't know what's wrong with him, but maybe he hit his head while I was fighting with him or something. But I want some one watching him at all times, and the other three can get some more sleep. We should get out of here tonight. It's not safe."

"What about you Star? What are you going to do?" Micah asked.

"I'm going to be lookout. I've already had some sleep today. I should be fine. But you need some sleep Micah, and then it's out of you three who watches Zack and who gets some more sleep."

"I'll watch Zack." Tinga offered.

"Good. Krit, Syl, Micah, I want you guys to get some sleep. We leave at sunset."

"Where will we go?"

"I don't know Micah. I don't know."


	16. is this just phony sentimentality?

Chain Reaction

Chapter Fifteen – is this just phony sentimentality?

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…

'10

Star sat on top of a wooden box, lost in her thoughts. She kept an eye out for any movement, but didn't move herself. Instead, she thought over what to do now.

_Who knows what's wrong with Zack. Maybe he just hit his head, or maybe he's going insane. Or it might just be guilt. Blue Lady knows that he has a lot of it. He always takes the blame for everything, so if something goes wrong, then it's all his fault. Even though it rarely is. Zack was one of the best of us, and never did anything wrong, unless it was for the good of the unit. He liked to set the example, teach the others to follow his lead, and be a '_perfect soldier' _as we often heard the Colonel call us. _

If Zack is going insane, I don't know what to do. Who'll take charge? Tinga? Ben? I mean, Eva, our second-in-command, is dead. Zack never appointed another one, we never thought he'd need to. But now, we might, and who will take his place?

Even if one of us did take his place, how do we know where the other's are? Ben, Zane, Brin, Cass and Cali are all out there somewhere, but only Zack knows exactly where. And if he can't or won't tell us, what do we do? Go and try to find them again? That could take us months, even years. And we might not have that long. For all we know, the Colonel is on to us right now, and we are just sitting here like squatting ducks.

While Star was thinking, Micah came up behind her. He hadn't been able to sleep, and had wanted to talk to her. Seeing her sitting on a box, motionless, Micah didn't know what to think. She wasn't moving at all, and that was usually a bad sign, unless she was thinking about something. So, Micah slowly walked up to her, and then stood in front of her. When she didn't even appear to notice him standing there, he waved a hand in front of her face. Still not noticing it, Micah called out her name, softly.

"Star?"

Star jumped, startled. "What? Micah? What are you doing, I thought you were going to get some sleep?" She asked gently.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Oh Micah, was it nightmares again?"

"No. It was just..."

"Micah?"

"Well, it was kind of nightmares, I guess."

Star pulled Micah up to sit next to her on the box, and placed her arms around him, holding him close.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"There's nothing you can do Star."

"I know. That's why I'm sorry."

Micah rested his head on Star's shoulder, and closed his eyes. Under her breath, Star hummed an old tune, one that came from as far back as she could remember.

…

An six month old baby lay in a crib, with knees curled up to his chest, and eyes scrunched shut. He didn't cry out, but one of the near by nurses knew that he was upset. Walking over, she picked up the baby, and went to stand in front of the window. Standing there, she gently rocked the baby, and quietly began to sing.

Lullaby and good-night  
With roses bedight  
With lilies bested  
In baby's wee bed  
Lay thee down now and rest  
May thy slumber be blest  
Lay thee down now and rest  
May thy slumber be blest  
Lullaby and good-night  
Thy mothers delight  
Bright angels around  
Thy baby shall stand  
They will keep thee from harm  
Thou shalt wake in my arms  
They will keep thee from harm  
Thou shalt wake in my arms

The baby asleep, the woman walked back to the crib, and gently placed him back in. Another lady walked over to her, and began to talk in a hushed voice.

"You know you shouldn't do that. What if that man Lydecker should find out? You'd be gone in no time."

"He won't find out. And don't you think that these babies need all the love they can get?"

From her crib, the five month old baby lay back down, going over the words in her head, until she fell asleep.

…

Star sat with the now sleeping Micah in her arms for over an hour, not moving or speaking, just revealing in the life that she held in her arms. As she sat, though, a thought came to her head._ Is this just phony sentimentality?_


	17. moving on

Chain Reaction

Chapter sixteen – moving on

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…

'10

Ten minutes before sunset, Star gently shook Micah to wake him up, and together they walked back to the sleeping area. They woke up Syl and Krit, who were curled up together under the table, and called Tinga in from where she was watching Zack.

"We need to get out of here soon," Star began. "As soon as the sun goes all the way down, three of us should go and scrounge some food and clothes and anything else that we need. The other two will stay here and pack up what we do have."

"Star?"

"Yeah Syl?"

"Who's going to be in command now? You?"

"Me? No, someone else should be."

"But you are the best commander of all of us out here, except maybe Zack. And who knows, you might even be better than him. You should be commander."

"But...I can't be commander. Ben should be, or Tinga."

"I couldn't be commander, Star." Tinga put in. "I'm not any good at commanding. I would rather follow the others, or do my own thing. But you, Star, you want to command. You like commanding. You like to be in charge. Like here, you're the one who has set all this up, given all the orders, made all the decisions."

"But...I can't be. I'm the youngest. The commander should be the oldest, or the closest to the oldest. Not the youngest."

"You may be the youngest Star," Krit interrupted, "But you're the best commander. We all know that, heck, even Zack knows that you're nearly as good as him. And some day, you will be better than him. You deserve this. Like Tinga said, you want to command. In fact, you need to command."

"But..."

"Star." Micah said gently. "Do this for us. You will be the best commander we have ever had. You will look after us, and make sure we're not found. Do this for me?"

"I still don't think I should. But, if you want me to..."

"We do."

"Then I will. I'll try. But if Zack wants his role back, then he can have it. Ok?"

"We suppose so." Tinga replied.

"Well, now that we've got that settled," Krit added, "who gets to go into town, and who stays?"

"You're staying Star. I won't let you go, not with your leg. And I'll stay here with you." Micah said.

"Then you and I will stay, and Tinga, Krit and Syl can go into town to scrounge. Ok with you three?"

"Fine with me."

"And me."

"And me. Let's go then."

"Wait a minute." Star called out, as they began to leave, "Only take what food we need, no more. We're going to go towards Seattle, so get enough to last us for a couple of days. If you find decent clothing that will fit any of us, however, take as much as you can get. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," the three replied, smiling, as they each saluted.

"Get out of here!" Star mock scolded, watching as they walked out of the warehouse. Once they had, she turned back to Micah, who was staring at her.

"What?" She asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing."

"Micah?"

"What? I didn't do anything."

"You were staring at me. What for?"

"I wasn't staring."

"Yes you were. Now tell me what for?"

"I wasn't staring."

"Tell."

"No."

"That's it. You're gone."

With that, Star tackled Micah, and pinned him to the ground. Pulling a feather out of her pocket, she waved it in front of his face.

"Oh no. Please no, not the feather." Micah pleaded.

"Tell me then."

Seeing the determined look on Micah's face, Star gently ran the feather under Micah's chin. Watching him try to keep the laughter in, she lifted his shirt up, and rubbed it over his stomach. Micah burst out laughing, and squirmed underneath Star, trying to get away. Mercilessly, Star rubbed it up his sides, and then along his arms, before turning her body around, and tickling his bare feet.

"Stop...please...Star!"

Turning back to face him, Star held the feather in front of his face.

"Only if you tell why you were staring."

"I wasn't..."

Star cut him off by flicking his nose with the feather.

"I saw you staring at me just before, so don't say that you weren't Micah. Now, tell me why you were staring."

"Okay, okay. I was staring because, well because you told me you didn't know where we we're going to go, and now your saying that we're going to Seattle."

"Is that the real reason Micah?" Star asked, waving the feather on front of his eyes.

"Well...okay it's not. I was just amazed at how you take over the role of Zack so easily, and how good you looked while you were doing it." Micah burst out, all the words jumbled together.

"You really think I've taken over already?" Star asked, having understood every word.

"Kinda."

Sighing, Star placed the feather back into her pocket, before getting up and helping Micah to his feet.

"Come on Micah, let's get all the stuff packed up ready to leave. Then we can do nothing."

"Okay."

…

(An hour later)

Star watched as Tinga, Krit and Syl walked through the door, each with a new bag on their backs, and each carrying another bag. Shifting Micah so that he was lying on the ground, Star got up and walked over to them, waiting until they put the bags down before speaking to them.

"What did you find?"

"We got six backpacks, one for each of us, and there's heaps of clothes in there, and some food. Mostly some bread and cereal and things like that." Tinga replied.

"Did you think to get some kind of drinks?"

"Yeah," Syl replied, "We must've gotten about eight bottles of water, which should be more'n enough to last us till Seattle."

"Good. Anything else useful?"

"Well, we got a couple of guns stashed away somewhere here, there's three of them I think, and a couple of clips of bullets for each. That's about it. Did you and Micah pack up all our stuff?"

"Yeah. Didn't take us long, and Micah's gone back to sleep again. I don't want to wake him just yet. But speaking of waking people, we need to wake Zack soon. First, though, I want to split up all the supplies so that each person is carrying what they alone will need. The three guns will go to me for the minute, until I decide who gets them."

…

(Ten minutes later)

Star stood up from where she was kneeling, having finished packing the last of the bags full of supplies. Picking up the three guns from where they sat, she put one in her pants pocket, tucked one into the front of her waistband, and the last in the back of her waistband. Looking around, she found Tinga, Krit and Syl staring at her.

"What is it with people and staring at me today?"

"Well..." Krit began.

"We, well I was just thinking how easily you've taken over the role of CO, and how well your doing so far." Tinga cut in.

"Oh. Ok." Star started. "Now, we need to leave now, so I need one of you three to go wake Zack up. Who will?"

"I will," Tinga offered.

"Ok. Krit, Syl, I need each of you to take a bag, and go out the front and scout around, make sure that there is no one watching us."

"Ok." Krit replied as he and Syl grabbed a bag each and left. Star waited until they were out the door, before walking over to where she had left Micah sleeping. She knelt down next to him, but before she could do anything, she heard Tinga call out her name frantically. Star got up, and ran as fast as her leg would allow into the next room, to find Tinga backed up against one of the walls, with Zack standing in front of her, holding a knife.

"Zack!" Star cried as she hurried over and pulled Zack backwards, which caused her to trip and fall backwards, pulling Zack down as well. He tried to get up, but Star grabbed his arm, holding him back.

"Tinga, get the knife!"

Tinga snatched the knife out of Zack's hand, and shoved it into her pocket. Star let go of his arm, and Zack fell back down, giving Tinga the opportunity to kick him in the stomach. He curled up, and rolled off Star, allowing Star to sit up.

"Zack?" Star called. "It's me, Star. And Tinga. You have to listen to us. We're not the enemy."

"I know." Zack said weakly.

"Then why did you attack?"

"I...I just, I don't know why. It was like my brain was saying one thing, but my body was doing something else. I haven't hurt you have I?"

"Not this time."

"I'm sorry Star. I really am."

"I know you are. But that's not the point. We need to get out of here, get to somewhere safer. You are coming with us. We're going to Seattle."

"I can't be near you. I will just hurt you. I'm not fit to be your CO any more."

"If you're unfit to be CO then Zack, who will take your place?" Star asked, sending a look toward Tinga to keep quiet.

"You Star. You are the new CO. I want you to be. You're the best. You'll do good. I know you will."

Tinga shot Star a return look, plainly telling her, _I told you so._

"You have to get up now Zack. We need to leave."

"You'll be CO?"

"Yes Zack. I will. But if you ever want to be CO again, you can, you know that?"

"You can't let me. I would just get you found, or killed. I can't be your CO. You are now, and for ever."

"I understand."

Zack got up, and walked over to Star, and held out a hand to help her up.

"Thanks." She murmured, as Zack pulled her up. "Let's get going."

Tinga, Zack and Star walked back out to the other room, and each picked up a bag.

"Where's Micah?" Tinga asked.

"He's still asleep. I don't want to wake him, because he doesn't get much sleep, so I'll carry him. I need one of you to take his bag for now."

"I will," Zack quickly offered, "It's all I can do now."

Star walked back to where Micah was sleeping, and gently lifted him up, cradling him in her arms. She then walked out the front, to where the other four were waiting for her. Star began walking, and Tinga and Zack fell in behind her, leaving Syl and Krit to keep up the rear. Together, they walked out into the street, leaving the warehouse behind.


	18. burning innocence

Chain Reaction

Chapter seventeen – burning innocence

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end, they both got caught?

…

'10

(Dr Alynyn Schinkoff)

Dr Alynyn Schinkoff walked down the empty hall, on her way to dinner. The X-6's were out in the field on a training exercise, the X-5's training in the classrooms, and the next group of X-7's weren't due for another two months. Therefore, Alynyn had nothing to do. Walking past the sparring room, Alynyn saw that the X-5's were in there, practicing. Stopping in front of the one-way mirror, Alynyn watched as one of the larger males tripped up a smaller female, then knelt on her back, arms twisted behind her, pinning her down.

She watched as the male waited for the count to finish, and then some, before giving the girls arms a last pull, and then let her go. Standing, she could just see a look of satisfaction on his face, before he hid it.

Feeling a presence walk up next to her, she turned to see who it was. It was Lydecker.

"Aly. Nice to see you. How are the X-7's progressing?"

"Fine Deck. The next group won't be ready for about two months, but the group we have at the minute is proceeding very nicely."

"I see. And the X-6's?"

"Good. None injured or sick, all fit and healthy and doing a training exercise at the minute."

"Ah, very good."

"Deck?"

"Yes Aly?"

"These kids, they're the X-5's aren't they? They look too young to be the X-4's."

"Yes, these are my X-5's. The best X-series we have created so far. What do you think of them?"

"I don't really know. I've only seen one fight, and that was just the end of it, with that male over there defeating a younger female."

"Ah, 598. I don't know about him. A bit too eager to do what he has been ordered, even if it means sacrificing the rest of the unit, and himself. He likes being Commanding Officer too much; the power of it has gotten to him. He seems to think that he can get away with anything, which may have been the case at the other facility, but not here. And he likes to inflict pain too much, especially on his own unit for some reason."

"Oh. I see. What will you do about him?"

"Me? Nothing. They have to learn to look after themselves. I try not to involve myself in their lives too much."

"Oh. You say they are the best?"

"Yes."

"They look good. Just the way they fight is amazing, much better than the X-6's. Who's the best of the unit?"

"The youngest, 452, is the best, but 494 is getting nearly as good as her."

"How much better than the others are they?"

"That depends. The female over there, 210, is almost as good as 452, as is the darkish skinned boy over there, 337. Some of the others, like 122 and 911, aren't anywhere near as good."

"How is it that the youngest is the best?"

"452 has always been the best, it's in her DNA to do the best she can."

"Oh, I see."

"Would you like to see just how good she is?"

"Well...yes, I would."

"Then pick a partner for her to fight, any one of them."

"What about...493 was it?"

"494. That should be interesting."

Lydecker walked into the room, and called Max and Alec forward.

"452, 494. You will fight each other."

Once said, Lydecker walked to the door, but stayed on the inside. He let the TAC leader give the signal, and watched as Max and Alec fought.

Outside, in front of the mirror, Alynyn watched as they fought for more than 10 minutes, Alec nearly being a match for Max. But just when she thought that Alec had the upper hand, Max managed to get Alec in a headlock, then flipped him and herself over backward, so that he was lying on the ground beneath her. She quickly grabbed his arms, and twisted them behind him, and knelt on his back, holding him down, even though he struggled. As soon as the TAC leader finished the count though, Max let go and walked back into line, with Alec right behind her. Satisfied with their performance, Lydecker gave Max a nod, before walking out.

"What did you think of that Aly?"

"They are amazing. I can't believe how fast and strong they are. I thought for a moment that 494 was about to win, but in a split second 452 had him pinned down. They are just so good."

"I thought you would think that. Now, I have to go and see the X-7's, will you come as well, or will you stay and watch the X-5s?"

"I think I'll stay. I'd like to see what some of the others can do."

"Alright then."

Alynyn waited until Lydecker had walked away before running in the opposite direction. When she reached her office, she sat down in her chair and cried.

_Have these kids ever been loved? Do they know what love is? Do they know that children their age are out learning Maths and English and Religion, not Tactics and Stealth and what ever else they teach these kids? And do they know that while they are fighting each other, outside kids are playing games, and ice-skating and having fun? Do they realize that they aren't normal children? That they aren't innocent like other kids their age? Do they even know what innocence is? Because they don't have any. None of them are innocent anymore; it's like their innocence has been burnt away, removed from them somehow._

_And even if they do know this, what can they do about it? Ever since those 11 escaped last year, security has been tighter, and they have been trying to reprogram them. And it might look like it has worked, but two nights ago; I saw something in Max and Jondy's eyes. They won't be reprogrammed. They know that what they say on those slides isn't true, they know what Deck and the TAC leaders can do to them. They know that they are a family, and that as a family they must stay true to everyone else, even those who were lucky enough to escape._

_Max and Jondy will not change for the good of Manticore; they will never be what Manticore wants them to be. It will be hard on them, but they will manage. They will survive, and Alec will help them. He will do all he can for Max, I know that. I could see it in the way he held Max, in the way he looked at her, and tried to protect her. And because Max and Jondy are so close, he will do anything for Jondy too, because that is what Max would want him to do, not just look after her, but look after them both._

…

(Max)

After lights out that night, Max and Jondy silently got up and left their room. They walked down their corridor, and into the boys. Walking up to Alec's room, they looked through the window in the door. Seeing that he was lying with his eyes open, Max and Jondy waved their hands around, to try and catch his eye. Once he saw them, he got up and walked out of the room.

"What?" he whispered.

"Don't you remember? Dr Alynyn said that she would give us the list with our birthdays on it tonight, as well as some more tryptophan." Max replied.

"Oh yeah, I guess that I forgot. And unlike you two, I do need to sleep."

"You don't have to come."

"Yes I do."

"No you don't."

"I do. Who else would look after you **and** Jondy?"

"We don't need looking after."

"Okay, why don't you quit arguing and we can get going." Jondy butted in.

"Okay Jondy." Max and Alec replied simultaneously.

The three of them set out, and in no time were outside of Dr Alynyn's office. Seeing that the door was closed and the light on, they waited for a moment, listening. When they didn't hear anything, they slowly opened the door, and saw that Dr Alynyn was sitting at her desk, looking at the computer. When she noticed the door opening, she moved to pull out her gun, but then she saw who it was.

"Alec, Jondy, Max, come in. Is it really 2100 already?"

"Not quite. But it will be in about ten minutes." Max replied.

"Oh, okay. Come in, please, and have a seat. I'm afraid there's only two seats, so you'll have to share."

"That's okay. Me and Max'll share one." Jondy said.

Max, Jondy and Alec walked in, and sat down, Max on Jondy's lap in one chair, and Alec in the other. While they sat down, Dr Alynyn turned away from them, and wiped her eyes free of tears. She didn't know how long she had been sitting there crying, but it must have been an hour or more. Once done, she turned back around to face the three.

"Now, I have the printed list of all the birthdays, but you will have to find somewhere to hide it, because if Lydecker or one of the TAC leaders finds out that you have it, it will mean serious trouble for you and me. But I'm sure that you have somewhere for it. And I managed to get you two whole bottles of tryptophan, a bottle of soybeans, and three packets of cashews, which also contain a small amount of tryptophan. If your having a light seizure, or are feeling a bit shaky, only use the cashews or the soy beans, and save the tryptophan for worse ones."

"Thank you. We'll find somewhere to hide all this. I promise." Jondy commented.

"Good. Now, I would love for you to stay here for a while, but I have much work to do, and there seems to be a lot of guards and TAC leaders out tonight, If you have any problems though, come to me. I will always be here at this time."

"Okay, we'll go now." Alec replied, taking the things off Dr Alynyn, before the three of them left.

Once they got back to the barracks, Max and Jondy led Alec into their room. In there, Alec placed the stuff on Max's bed, and sat down.

"Why are we in here? If we get caught..." Alec started.

"We won't. And we're not staying here for long." Max cut in.

"Where are we going?" Alec asked.

"The high place," Max and Jondy replied.

"The high place?"

"It's on the roof right above our old barracks," Max explained. "We can get to it from our room though. We just have to climb out our window, up to the roof, and then walk over to the other side. From there it's easier, because it's easier to see us on this side of the roof."

"Oh. What if we get caught up there?"

"We wont."

"How do you know?"

"Because we used to go up there every couple of nights, and we never got caught. But then Ben was up their alone, the night Jack died, and he started yelling, and he got caught. None of us has been up there since, and they don't watch over it. It's on the wrong side of the building to be watched all the time, and if they ever do watch it, you can hear the helicopter a mile away and hide."

"Are you sure we should do this Max?" Alec asked.

"There's nowhere else Alec, it has to be the high place."

"Can't we at least tell the others when their birthdays are?"

"We can tell them tomorrow, I already memorized the list."

"Alright. Let's get this over with."

Alec stood up, and grabbed all the things. Max, however, had different ideas, and took the things off him, placed them on her bed, and pulled the sheet off. Folding it up, Max tied it at the top, and started to sling it over her shoulder, but Alec took it, and tied it over his shoulder.

"I could have taken it Alec."

"I don't care if you could, I'm taking it."

"Come on Max, let's go." Jondy called from out the window.

Max walked over to the window, with Alec behind her. She pulled herself out, before telling Alec what to do. Once he was out, she led the way up the drainpipe, and onto the roof. Jondy was waiting for them, and they silently walked over to the other side, and down to the high place. Once there, Max pulled the sheet off Alec's shoulder, and placed it on the ground. Moving the items off the sheet, she wrapped it around her waist, before putting the items in piles. Finished, she stood up and waited for Alec and Jondy to come over.

"Where will you put it?" Alec asked the girls.

"In the stone." Jondy replied.

"In the stone? And how are we supposed to do that?"

"It's simple," Jondy explained, "You pull out one of the stones and then put the things in the hole behind it. This is mostly hollow, when we came up here regularly we decided that we needed a place to put things, and started to hollow it out. It didn't quite get finished, but it still works, and nobody can tell the difference."

"Really?"

"Really. Now come on, we can't be up here forever you know."

Max worked out four stones, making a hole big enough for all the stuff to fit through. Alec and Jondy brought the stuff over, and the three of them carefully arranged it so that they would be able to find it easily. Finished, Max put the stones back in, and the three stood up again. Max walked over to the edge, and looked out over the thick forest. She could just make out the outline of the lake, which in winter was frozen over. Remembering what it felt like to be under that ice, Max gave a shudder.

…

(Alec)

After they had placed the stones back in, Alec stood up and stretched. His body was still sore from the fight with Max that day, and he needed a good sleep to fix it. Looking around, he saw that Max stood on the edge of the roof, looking out over the forest. He was about to turn away when he saw Max give a shudder. Walking over to her, he gently placed an arm around her shoulder. She looked up at him, and he could see a tear rolling down her face. Reaching down, he wiped it away.

"Max, what's wrong?" he asked.

"It's nothing."

"Then why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying."

"Yes you were. Now please, Max, tell me what's wrong."

"It's just..."

"Just what?"

"You see that lake over there?"

"The lake? Yeah I see it. Why?"

"I fell in that lake the night of the escape, and Jondy tried to help me out. But we didn't get far before they caught us. That was the last night I saw Zack and Syl and Krit and Ben and all the others. I miss them so much."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry. It's not your fault."

"I know. But come on Max; let's go back inside. If we get caught out here, who knows what will happen."

"Alright."

Max and Alec turned around, and saw that Jondy was sitting on the top of the roof, waiting for them.

"Come on you two, hurry up, we haven't got all night." Jondy called out to them.

"We're coming." Max replied.

Max, Jondy and Alec walked back to other side of the roof, went down the drainpipe and entered Max and Jondy's room through the window. Max and Jondy sat down on their beds, as Alec was about to head out the door. Before he got there however, he thought of something and turned back.

"Max. Jondy. You both have twins, Sam and Toni. Do I have a twin?"

"His name's Ben." Max answered. "He escaped with the others in '09. His designation was 493."

"Tell me about him?"

"Back before the escape, he always wanted answers for everything. You know?" Max started, "Why we are here, what was outside? So he would make up these fantastic stories to explain things. Somehow it made us feel...loved. Like we weren't all alone."

"He used to make shadow animals, with his hands," Jondy interrupted, "If you ever felt sad, or hurt or scared, you'd go to him or Tinga. He would tell you stories all night long, just to keep the nightmares away. He was the one who found out about the Blue Lady, and discovered the High Place, where we used the stone as an altar to her."

"The Blue Lady?" Alec asked.

"Jack got the shakes one night, and a janitor came in. When he saw Jack shaking, he placed a card in Jack's hands, and he stopped shaking. He told us to pray to her. That she would watch over us. Ben believed in her the most, but we all gave her our teeth when they came out." Jondy answered.

"Is she real?"

"We don't know. Ben believed that she was, but after Jack got taken away, we didn't believe as much. If she was watching over us, then why did they take Jack? We did Eva have to die? Why couldn't all of us get out? There are just so many questions, ones that can't be answered. We don't know if she's real, but we still believe, just a little part in each of us still believes that the Blue Lady watches over us sometimes." Max replied.

"I guess that all of us, at some point, have prayed to the Blue Lady, and sometimes, just sometimes, she listens to us. And answers us." Jondy added.

"What do you pray for?"

"Just little things. Things like for her to watch over us during a mission, or to heal a broken leg quicker. Just stuff like that."

"Speaking of broken legs," Max interrupted, "Do either of you know what happened to Isis and Lea the night before our mission? I mean Lea has a broken bone, and Isis had concussion. That doesn't just happen overnight for no reason."

"Well, I heard the Colonel talking to one of the TAC leaders, and he said that Isis and Lea had held a mock-fight, but Isis accidentally broke Lea's arm, and as Lea fell, she caught Isis's leg and so Isis fell as well. Isis then hit her head on the bed, and got knocked out." Alec said.

"Wow." Max stated.

"Yeah," Jondy added. "I never thought that those two would have a mock fight. I don't think I've ever seen them fight properly, it's like they're just putting on a show."

"Isn't that what we're doing though?" Alec asked. "I mean the fight between me and Max today, that was just for show. The Colonel was talking to someone outside the room, I couldn't tell who, and that person wanted to see how good we were. That's the only reason they made me and Max fight each other. They wouldn't do it just because, or we'd seriously hurt each other each time. I still hurt from that fight."

"I'm sorry Alec, I didn't mean to hurt you." Max apologized.

"It's alright Max. You only did it because you had to. By the way, what is it with you and headlocks? Every time we fight you get me in a headlock."

"I don't know. It's just something I've always done."

"Anyway, I've got to go back to my room. If Nick wakes up and finds me gone, who knows what he might do? I don't think he'd go to the Colonel or 598, but he's surprised me before."

"Okay then Alec. Goodnight." Max replied.

Alec walked out of Max and Jondy's room, and walked back to the room that he shared with Nick. He opened the door and silently slipped in. It was only when he got into his bed that he realised that Nick was awake and staring at him.

"Where have you been? You disappeared just after lights out, you know we aren't allowed out of our rooms at night."

"Did you tell anyone?"

"No. But if you don't tell me where you were, I might. Please Alec?"

"Alright. You know how Max has been having those seizures?"

"You mean when she shakes really bad?"

"Yeah that. Well two nights ago, after that last incident, some of us went searching for some answers. Jondy, Max and I found a doctor, Dr Alynyn Schinkoff, and she gave us some answers. She said that we all have a chemical imbalance in our brains, and that Max's is worse than ours. She gave us some stuff that can fix it. She told us that if we came back in two night's time, tonight, she would give us some more, and she could tell us when our birthdays were. She gave us a printed list."

"What's a birthday?"

"It's a day each year that you celebrate the day you were born. Like every year, on April 13, it's my birthday. You celebrate with your family and friends, and you get presents and parties and cakes. Well, on the outside you do."

"When's mine?"

"Yours is June 9. You were born in 1999, and you're 11 years old. I was also born in 1999."

"Oh. What else did you do? Surely you weren't out for that long just at the doctors?"

"No. We had to go hide the stuff. It's in a place on the roof, that only the Alpha team know about."

"Okay then. I'm going to sleep, because unlike some people, I need sleep."

"Hey! I need sleep too, especially after Max pounded me today."

"Poor you, Alec, poor you. I hope that I never have to fight her. She's too good. You're getting close to being as good as her though. I don't think you'll ever be as good, but you'll be close."

"Thanks for the reassurance Nick."

"You're welcome."


	19. someone new is in town actually, someone...

Chain Reaction 

Chapter eighteen – someone new is in town (actually, someone old is in Manticore)

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…

'12

Jondy walked down the empty hall, bored out of her mind. All of the other X-5's were on a training mission, but she hadn't been allowed to go as a punishment for being caught out of bed after lights out. So now, instead of doing some insane mission, she was told to stay in her barracks. Not her room, but the barracks. So they couldn't give her more punishment for not being in her room, because they hadn't told her to stay in her room.

The only problem with staying in the barracks was the fact that Jondy knew the barracks of by heart. She could walk around blind-folded and still be able to tell some one where she was, whose room she was in, and how many bars there were on a particular window. So, tired of following orders like a good little soldier, Jondy decided to go wandering.

The first place she ended up outside of was the dining hall. It was only when she heard a noise inside that she decided not to go in and try to steal some food. Instead, she decided to go and check out the medical wing, and see if Dr Aly was in. Having to frequently hide from guards along the way, Jondy began to wonder what all the extra security was for. But, unless she wanted to risk being caught and punished more, she would have to try and stay out of everyone's way.

Walking up to Dr Aly's door, Jondy saw that it was open. Looking in, she saw that while no body was in, the computer was on. Being quite curious, Jondy walked over and sat down at the desk, and turned the screen on. Looking through the windows that were up, she saw one titled ''09 escapees.' Getting more and more intrigued, Jondy opened the window to see what was in it. After looking at the first few lines, Jondy gave a gasp, and quickly turned the screen off and ran out of the room. She ran down the corridor, made sure that there were no guards coming, and entered the next corridor. Down the very end were a group of rooms that served as a place to keep sick or ill soldiers who were known to fight back. In other words, jails cell for the sick. Noting that there were two guards posted outside one of the rooms, Jondy turned back and looked around for a storeroom.

Finding one, she went in and started looking around. Pulling a tray off the shelf, she grabbed a jar of sedative, two syringes, a bunch of cloths, a bottle of painkillers and a bottle of green liquid that didn't have a label on it. Jondy didn't really want to know what was in the bottle, but it would do for her purposes. She also found a nurse's outfit that was three times too big on her, but put it on anyway over her cams, as well as putting on a hair net that would hide the fact that her hair was only centimeters long. Picking up the tray again Jondy walked out of the storeroom.

Walking down the hallway towards the room, she saw the guards look up, and stare at her. Sauntering up to them, she shifted the tray in her hands and tried to look like she knew what she was doing.

"Good morning gentlemen, just here to give the prisoner their meds, and do a bit of a check up. Just routine, nothing else. Would one of you please open the door for me, my hands are full?"

"Sure thing miss, won't be a moment. But you be careful in there, heard that this one's even dangerous in her sleep. You want one of us to go in there with you?"

"I'm sure I'll be fine, but thanks for the offer. If I need anything I'll call. And be sure to close the door after me, we don't want her to get out now do we?"

"Yep, got ya miss. Will do."

Walking past the men, Jondy entered the room. It was plain, with the only furniture a single bed against the opposite wall, that was occupied, and a table next to the door. Gently putting the tray down on the table, Jondy waited until the guards closed the door before yanking off her outfit, and shaking the person in the bed.

The girl sat up quickly, and wrapped her hands around Jondy's throat. But when she looked into Jondy's eyes, she let go of her throat.

"Jondy?"

"Star."

"Why are you in here?"

"I think the more important question is why are you in here?"

"Me? Well, I had to go save Tinga, but I got caught."

"Tinga? She's okay? Where is she?"

"She's safe. I can't tell you where she is. I can't tell you where any of them are."

"You know where everyone is? How? Did Zack tell you?"

Jondy immediately got a bad feeling about the look on Star's face when she mentioned Zack. "Star? What is it? What's happened to Zack?"

"We don't know. He's alive, don't worry about that. But two years ago, something happened to him. There were five of us in one place. Syl and Krit and Tinga had found each other, and then Micah and I found them. Micah and I were going to leave town that night anyway, but Zack found us, and I guess he just got angry. That's what triggered it. He came crashing through the skylight, and we had a fight. The other four got knocked down at the very start, but he and I fought. He broke my leg. I knocked him unconscious.

"When he woke, he was acting weird. First he was just Zack, being the stern CO, and then he was all guilty. I told him that he broke my leg, and he broke down. I guess that all the stress of being CO and the guilt over the escape and hurting me just got too much to handle. He hasn't been the same since. He's alright, I mean he's not crazy, but he's not CO. He's got a normal life, a small place, a roommate, he was even thinking of getting a job the last time I saw him."

"So you're the CO?"

"Yeah. I didn't want to be, I thought that Ben or Tinga should be, but Zack wanted me to do it, and so did the others. It's not that bad. 'Cept when things like this happen and I end up back here."

"How are you going to get out?"

"I don't know Jondy. But I have to do it soon."

"There are two guards posted outside this door, and heaps more patrolling this wing."

"I know that. Will you help me?"

"I don't know if I can. But I'll try."

"Where are the others? Where's Max and Scout and Skye and Lyn and all the rest?"

"Skye and Lyn are dead. So are Tim and Jed. They died trying to get out in '09. Max and me got caught trying to get out. Max fell in some ice, I tried to save her, but we both got caught in the end. The others, well they either got caught as well or never got out at all. But at the minute, everyone else is on a training mission in the woods. I'm being punished. I got caught out of bed after lights out, and aren't supposed to be out of the barracks. But I got bored."

"How did **you **get caught?"

"Max got the shakes. Alec and me had to go to the High Place to get some tryptophan, which stops the shakes. Max made me walk Alec back to his room, but one of the guards saw me just about to enter mine and Max's room."

"Wait a minute. What's trypto-whatever it is? Who's Alec? What do you mean by yours and Max's room?"

"Well, after the escape, they split us up, boys in one corridor, girls in another. Then they paired us up, and put us in rooms in pairs. And a doctor here, Dr Alynyn Schinkoff, told us that tryptophan will stop the seizures. You can get it as pills, in a bottle. It's also in milk, and turkey, and cashews, and soya beans."

"So to stop the seizures, all you have to do is have one of those things?"

"Not really. If the seizures really light or you think you're about to get one, then you use milk or stuff. The only thing that will actually stop the seizures, stop not pause, is a couple of pills of tryptophan."

"Ok. I'll have to tell the others that. But you haven't answered my other question. Who's Alec?"

"Alec is Ben's twin. You see, there was another lot of X-5's created, twinned off of us. They are the Beta X-5's. We are the Alpha X-5's. Each of us has a twin in their unit. About six months after the escape, their unit was moved here, all twenty-two of them."

"Hold on a sec, twenty-two? I thought that you said all of us had a twin in their unit?"

"We do, but some got killed, or died. But that's who Alec is."

"Okay then. Who's my twin? Is she alive."

"Yeah, 664. Her names Anna. She's not that bad, unlike some of the others in the Beta unit. But enough of that, I can't stay in here much longer, or the guards will get suspicious."

"How did you manage to get in here anyway?"

"Well, I dressed up as a nurse, and told them that I was doing a check-up on you. Bit of a gamble, but I had to see if it was really you in here."

"What do you mean? How did you know I was here?"

"I was looking around, cause I was bored. I decided to see if Dr Aly was in her office, and talk to her for a while. She wasn't, but her computer was on. I had a look, and there was a window open about the '09 escapees, I had a quick look, and the very first part said that you had been captured, and needed medical attention. I had to know if it was true, so I came."

"Oh..."

Star was cut off by the door opening. One of the guards looked in, and saw Jondy standing over Star.

"Hey, you!" He called out, as he turned to get his partners attention.

"NO!" Jondy cried, as she blurred over to him, and gave him a swift kick to the head, before knocking him unconscious. His partner came over to see, and Jondy quickly took him down as well. Behind her, Star struggled to get up and out of the bed.

Jondy ran back, and helped her up, and took her over to the table. Taking some of the painkillers out of the bottle, Jondy told Star to swallow them. Once she had, Jondy stuffed some more tablets into the pocket of Star's gown, and dragged her out of the room. Before they got far however, Star stopped her.

"You have to kill those guards."

"No. Star I won't."

"Then I will. We have to Jondy. Unless you want to get punished for being a traitor to Manticore, which could kill you. Remember one of our first lessons Jondy, dead soldiers can't talk. We have to do this."

"Fine. I'll do one, you do the other."

"I'll do them both little sister. You don't have to."

"Let's just get this over with Star."

Star and Jondy quickly walked back, and snapped each soldier's neck. When she heard the sound, Jondy winced, she hated killing people. She didn't wait for more than a second over his body, before getting up, and with Star, ran back to the barracks, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. Surprisingly, the encountered no guards as they ran along.

Once back at the barracks, Jondy pulled Star into hers and Max's room. Pulling a spare pair of cams out from under her bed, Jondy told Star to put them one. As she did, Jondy tried to form a plan for the escape.

"Ok," Jondy started when Star was ready, "You remember the High Place?"

"Sure, how could I forget?"

"Well, if you climb up to the roof from this room, you can go across to the other side, and get to the High Place. From there, you can climb down the drainpipe to the ground, and get out through the woods on that side. The fence won't be patrolled on that side, and neither will the woods. But if you meet anyone in the forest, hide or run away. You can't risk being seen."

"I'm sorry for doing this to you Jondy. I don't mean to cause you any trouble."

"It's alright. It's been good seeing you again Star. When you see the others next, tell them that we miss them, please?"

"Sure. But, Jondy, what will happen if they think you helped me out? Won't you get punished more?"

"I have a simple answer. Knock me out, and break one of my fingers or my wrist or something. Then drag me out into the hallway, where someone will find me. That way, they will think you took me out, and I can say that I tried to stop you, but couldn't, and that you got out through my window. They will search that side of the woods then, not the other. But you will have to be fast. Get out of here Star, and do it quickly."

"I'm sorry for having to do this Jondy. But, if you want me to..."

"I do."

Star knocked Jondy out, and dragged her out into the hallway, and laid her outside her open door. She couldn't bring herself to break any of Jondy's bones so instead she just punched her in the jaw, hard. Then she ran back into Jondy's room and climbed out of the window. She climbed up the drainpipe, and ran across the roof. She knew that she didn't have much time, and so instead of climbing down the drainpipe, she slid down to the ground. Looking around for any guards, Star found none, and so blurred across the open training yard to the woods. Once in, she slowed down a little so that she could watch where she was going and not trip over anything.

After just minutes of running, Star reached the perimeter fence. She was just about to jump over when a hand grabbed her elbow. Turning around, Star was about to kick the person, when they spoke.

"Star?"

"Maxie? You have to let me go, I have to get out of here soon."

"What are you doing here? What happened?"

"Ask Jondy some time. She'll tell you. But I have to go, they'll be after me soon. Please Maxie, let me go."

"Okay. It was good to see you Star."

"You too. Look after yourself little sister."

Max quickly hugged Star, before letting her jump over the fence. When she turned around, Max gave a quick wave, before going back to the mission. Star watched her leave, before turning around and running away, to the real world.


	20. something is wrong with this picture

Chain Reaction 

Chapter nineteen – something's wrong with this picture

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end, they both got caught?

…

'12

Max and Jondy waited in their doorway, watching as the rest of their unit formed two lines. Only when everyone was in the line except them, and had started marching did they position themselves at the end of the line. Keeping the distance between them and the next pair as large as possible without getting into trouble, Max and Jondy marched with the group to the mess hall.

"What happened today? Why were you unconscious when I found you?" Max whispered to Jondy, making sure that the next pair, Elia and Jace, couldn't hear them.

"While the rest of you were on that mission, I was wandering around the barracks. I got bored of that, and wandered over to the medical wing, thinking that I might see Dr Aly, and talk to her for a while. She wasn't in her office, but the computer was on. I looked and found a document about the '09 escapees."

"What did it say?"

"I only read the first couple of lines, and they said that there was an escapee here, needing medical attention. Star. So I went exploring, and found where she was being kept. I went into a storeroom, changed into a nurse's outfit, grabbed a tray and fooled the guards into letting me in.

"I talked to Star for a bit, but then one of the guards looked in. I attacked, and knocked the two of them out. I helped Star up; she didn't look too bad, and gave her some painkillers. We had to kill the guards before we left, and went back to the barracks. I told her to knock me out, before she went over the roof to the High Place. From there she went through the woods. I hope she got out all right."

"She did."

"How do you know?"

"I saw her. She was just about to jump the fence, but I stopped her. We didn't say much, and she left. Last I saw of her, she was running full speed away from here."

"That's good. At least she..."

"Shh." Max ordered Jondy.

They had reached the mess hall, and were some of the last ones to get in. Quickly they got a tray of food each, and grabbed one of the last free tables, a table for two in the middle. They ate in silence, because there were too many people who could hear them. Although meals time rules had relaxed a lot since after the escape, not many of the X-series soldiers talked during meals.

Once Jondy and Max had finished eating, they took their trays back, before starting back to the barracks. They were the first to have finished, so the hallways were empty. Before Max could ask Jondy any questions though, Jondy held up her hand, telling Max to be quiet. Max stood still as Jondy walked over to a door, and pressed her ear against it. She waited a minute, before springing back, and grabbing Max's arm. They had just started to walk again, when the door opened, and the Colonel walked out of it. Spying Max and Jondy, he stopped.

"210, 452. I was just about to go to the mess hall to find you. Follow me, I need to ask you some questions."

Obediently, Max and Jondy followed the Colonel through the hallways, until they reached his headquarters. Opening the door, he ushered them in. As they stood at attention in front of his desk, he went behind it, and sat down.

"452. When you returned from mission today, you found 210 unconscious in front of your dorm room, correct?"

"Yes, Sir."

"What did you do then, 452?"

"Sir, I carried 210 into the room, and placed her on the bed. I was about to go to the medical wing to get someone to come and look at her, when she woke up."

"Why didn't you take her to the medical wing yourself?"

"Sir, she was too heavy to carry, Sir. I would not have made it to the medical wing without dropping her, or having to stop and rest. And because none of the others had returned, Sir, I could not ask for their help."

"What did you do when she woke up?"

"Sir, I helped her to the medical wing straight away. The doctor, Dr Schinkoff, looked over her, and said that there was no concussion. All that was wrong was that 210 had a bruised jaw. She then permitted us to return to the barracks."

"Very well. Now, 210. Why were you unconscious?"

"Sir, I was on my way back from the bathroom when something attacked me from above. The assailant had been over my head, and had dropped onto my shoulders as I walked past. I attempted to turn and fight them, but they punched me in the jaw, before knocking me out. Then next thing I recall was waking up in my room."

"Did you see who the person was that attacked you?"

"From what I could tell, Sir, they were about my height, and in a medical gown."

"Do you know whether they were male or female? And distinct features?"

"Only that they had short brown hair. I wasn't able to get a good look, Sir, but I think they were female."

"Did they say anyting to you? Anything at all?"

"No, Sir."

"Thank you, you have been most helpful. You are..."

Before the Colonel could finish his sentence, a TAC leader burst through the door.

"Sir! We have a problem. It seems that the X-5 you found, 665, has escaped. The two guards that were guarding her room are dead, Sir. And there is no sign of her anywhere."

"What?" the Colonel yelled. "How did this happen?"

"We don't know Sir. There was a tray left in her room, though. We think that a nurse went in to give her some meds, and the X-5 overcame her, and got out the door, to kill the guards. We don't know where she could be Sir. Would you like the building to go into lock-down?"

"No. That won't be necessary. I want you to search the whole facility. Every room, you understand? And every inch of the grounds as well. I want all of your men out there, now!"

"Yes, Sir." The TAC leader saluted before running out of the room.

Turning to Max and Jondy, the Colonel looked them over before speaking.

"It seems that we may have found your assailant, 210. For now, both of you will return to your barracks and gather up your unit. I want your entire unit out on the first perimeter fence. If you see anything strange, anything at all, you have permission to follow up on it. If, however, any of your unit attempts an escape again, you will all be punished severely. Understood?"

"Sir, yes, Sir."

"452, you will be in charge, 210 you will be second in command. You must hurry. If you find 665, capture her. Do not kill. Dismissed."

Max and Jondy ran out of the room, and back to the barracks. There, they could see that the X-5's that had returned from meals had been told to wait in the corridor, as guards searched their rooms. Running up to the first set of rooms, Max and Jondy stopped.

"X-5's to me!" Max yelled, loud enough that the boys could hear her from her corridor. They turned and saw her and Jondy, and jogged up to join them. Counting them, Max found that there were twelve missing.

"Where are the rest? There are twelve missing. Where are they?"

"Right here." Alec called from behind her. He was leading the remaining eleven behind him. As they got closer, they saw what was happening, and stopped.

"What's going on?" Alec asked.

"If you stand on this side of me, you will find out." Max ordered. She waited until the entire unit was on one side of her, before giving them the orders.

"X-5's. One of the rouge X-5's was re-captured. Unfortunately she has somehow gotten out of her cell, killed her two guards, and escaped. We are to be on first fence duty, until the Colonel tells us to come back in. If you see anything strange, the Colonel has given permission to follow it up. However, if any one person attempts to escape, then everyone will be punished severely. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now, you will work in pairs, and patrol the fence. X-5's pair up!"

The result was instantaneous. The X-5's paired up, and formed two lines, in their pairs. Max was just about to lead them out, when 598 stopped her.

"I'm in charge here, 452. I will lead us out."

"No, you won't." Max replied. "The Colonel has ordered me to take charge for this mission, and Jondy is to be my second in command. If you do not believe me, then go to the Colonel yourself. But do not stop us from obeying our orders."

598 stepped back in line, just as Ty stepped forward.

"You've told us what to do, Max." He remarked. "But who are we chasing? Who is it that got caught?"

"Star. For you, Beta team, 665. Anna's twin."

"How will we know whether it is Anna we see or this 665?" Toni asked.

Jondy spoke up. "665 has longer hair. She attacked me today, and I saw that her hair is about chin-length. None of our hair is longer than ear-length."

"If you find her, you are only permitted to capture, not kill. And if that is enough, let's go." Max ordered. She waited for the lines to re-form, before setting out at a run. When they finally reached the first perimeter fence, Max started assigning people posts.

"If you find anything, give the discovery signal. If you hear the discovery signal, do not attempt to help, but stay where you are assigned. If you find anything worth reporting, Jondy and I will be at this post here." Max told her unit, before any of them left.

Once every one was at their post, Max and Jondy stood at theirs, talking.

"Do you think Star's gonna be okay?" Max asked.

"Of course she is. She told me, she's CO now."

"What? Why? What happened to Zack?"

"Zack is okay. Star said that he just went weird. It was like he got really guilty, and couldn't take it anymore. He's safe, and happy. Star said that he is living a normal life now."

"How come Star got caught anyway?"

"She was saving Tinga from something. She said that all the others are out there too. She only mentioned Krit, Syl, Micah, Tinga, Ben and Zack, but she knows where every one else is. She knows that they are all right. And she's looking after them."

"With Star as a CO, how could they not be? Everyone knew that Star was one of the best leaders. If something happened to Zack and Eva, then Star was the one to lead."

"I know. She'll do good. Just like Zack would have done good."

"Yeah. I wonder...Jace? Elia? What are you doing?"

"We found a body just on the other side of the fence. It looks like one of the TAC leaders. We thought that you should know."

"Good. We will come and look it over." Max said as they ran over to where the body was. He was lying face down five feet in front of the fence. Max and Jace jumped over, and Max rolled the body over. The man was one of the guards on sentry duty that day. His neck had been broken.

"Who would have done this?" Max murmured to herself.

Jace heard, and spoke up. "She did it. Star. Star betrayed us. She's a traitor. And now she's killing our people."

"Wait a minute, how do we know it was her?"

"Who else would it be? They are all traitors, they deserted us. Their minds have been corrupted by the outside world. They cannot see that in here, it is better. That the outside world is dirty and diseased."

"They are not traitors!" Max yelled. "They just took the opportunity when it arose. You cannot blame them for doing it."

"They are traitors. And I can, I will blame them. They are cowards, running away from those who are helping them."

"You think Manticore is helping us? Do you? They torture us! They are training us to kill people!"

"They do what they deem necessary to make sure that we obey the orders, and finish the mission."

Max and Jace stood, and faced each other in fighting positions. Max swung her fist and hit Jace in the nose, making it bleed. Jace blocked the next swing, and brought her knee up into Max's stomach. Max grabbed her knee after it hit, and twisted it, making Jace fall to the ground. Jace immediately swung her legs out, and tripped Max. Before she could get back up, Jace jumped on her, and started punching her in the face. She hit twice, once in the eye, and once in the mouth, before Max grabbed her arms, and shoved her back.

Jumping up, Max and Jace circled each other. Jace swung her fist, but Max grabbed it, and simultaneously kicked Jace in the upper thigh, and punched her in the jaw. Letting go of her hand, Max hit her again, in the eye, and again in the mouth. Jace raised her fist, to punch Max again, but someone grabbed her elbow, just as Jondy wrapped her arm around Max's waist. Struggling against Jondy, Max watched as Jace fought Elia's hold.

"Stop it you two." Jondy ordered. "I don't care what you were fighting about, but stop it. Now, if anyone asks what happened, you disagreed with each other, and decided to fight it out. You will not tell the real reason. Understood Jace?"

"Why should I?"

"Because if the Colonel knew what you were really fighting about, the two of you might not see the day for a long time."

"Solitary?" Jace gasped.

"Yes, solitary. Now, go back to your post, and Elia, try and fix up Jace's wounds so that they aren't too noticeable."

"Yes, ma'am. What will you do with the body?" Elia asked.

"Leave it. I will tell the Colonel where it is, and have him send out someone to collect it. Now move."

Elia and Jace jumped the fence and stood at their post again. Jondy led Max further down the fence, before jumping over with her. Behind her, she could see that Elia was working on Jace's injuries. When they reached their post, Jondy sat Max down.

"What on Earth were you fighting about Max?"

"Jace said that Star was the one who killed the guard, because she's a traitor and a deserter. She said that all those who escaped are traitors, and that their minds have been corrupted by the outside world, and they can't see that what Manticore does for them is good. How can she say that? We both know what Manticore does is wrong! We know that the eleven who escaped aren't traitors. We know they aren't cowards. How can she say that about them?"

"This is what you were fighting about?"

"Yes."

"What else do you expect Max? Six months of psy-ops, two and a half years of watching those slides saying that those who left are cowards, snakes, traitors. That has changed us, Max. Maybe not you and me, but all of the others. Don't you see the looks on their faces when anyone brings up anything to do with those who escaped? They would gladly kill them, because they deserted us. They left us to be tortured. Never mind that that isn't what they really did, that is what Manticore tells us they have done, and that is what everyone else believes."

"But, I thought that nobody paid attention in those slides."

"Maybe not at first. But they all did just before it ended. Not everyone can act as well as you and I can Max. Not everyone was able to get through those six months of psy-ops. They believe what Manticore tells us now. They are good little soldiers. If they meet an escapee when they are on mission, then will bring them in, or kill them, because that is what Manticore has told us to do."

"But...They are our family. Don't they remember that?"

"Max. We have been simplified. We have been made to think that they were once family, but they betrayed us. Don't you understand?"

"I guess I do. I just don't want to believe it."

"I'm sorry, baby sister. But at least you, Alec, Sam, Toni and me know the truth. But that is all of us. And I wasn't sure that Sam and Toni could hold onto the old thoughts for much longer, but they have finally finished the slides. There will be no more psy-ops for us. No more slides. We are as simple as they can make us, without being dead to the world."

"I don't want to forget Jondy. If they make me, I don't know what I'll do."

"I know, baby sister. I know." Jondy sat next to her sister, and pulled her into a hug. "But for now, we have to keep pretending that we have forgotten. For now."


	21. it's getting hot in here

Chain Reaction 

Chapter twenty – It's getting hot in here!

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end, they both got caught?

…

'12

"Max, Jondy, you have to help me! Wake up, come on, Maxie, Jondy, wake up!" Trix cried as she tried to wake them up.

"Trix?" Max murmured, still slightly sleepy. Her and Jondy hadn't slept in over a week, and they were both tired.

"Maxie, thank the blue lady, you have to help me! Please?" Trix begged.

"What? What's wrong Trix?" Max asked calmly.

"I don't know. I just..."

"Trix? What are you doing in here?" Jondy asked, having just woken up.

"I need your help. There's something wrong with me. I don't know what it is though."

"Well, what happened?" Max asked.

"I was asleep, in my room. Gem wasn't there; she's in the infirmary for a broken bone. And I was dreaming, and it was a really weird dream. I was out in a place beyond the perimeter fence. I was in a house, and was about to go to bed, when I heard someone knock on the door. I answered it, and it was a guy. And I took one look at him, and pulled him in. Then I dragged him into the nearest room, which was a living room, and told him to get his clothes off and get on the couch. I started taking my clothes off for him, and then I woke up. And all I could think of was that guy, and what I wanted to do with him. What does it mean? Maxie, what am I dreaming about this for?"

"I don't know Trix. Nobody else has done this before. Here, just sit on my bed for a moment, I'll go get Alec, maybe he'll know. Maybe one of his unit's done something like this."

"Ok. But hurry, Maxie, I...I have this urge. And I don't know how long I can wait for an answer, before I do something stupid."

"I'll be back as soon as I can. Jondy, watch her. Don't let her out of the room."

"Ok."

As Max started out the door, she heard Trix ask Jondy, "It's hot in here, Jondy. Can't you open your window or something?"

She didn't wait to hear Jondy's reply, instead, she ran towards the boy's hallway. Reaching the room Alec shared with Nick, she looked in to see that both boys were fast asleep. Silently opening the door, she walked over to Alec's bed, and shook him. Seeing that that didn't work, she laid a hand over his mouth, and gently tickled his side. His eyes snapped open, and he struggled for a moment, before he saw who it was. Max signaled for him to follow her, and started out the door. When they got into the corridor, Max started running again, explaining to Alec as they ran.

"Alec, we need you're help. There's something wrong with Trix, she came into our room just before, and woke us up. We thought you might know what's wrong with her. Here..."

They had reached Max and Jondy's room, and stood in front of the closed door. Max opened it, and stepped in. Immediately, Jondy and Trix looked up at her. She moved aside, and let Alec come in. Before she could say anything, Trix stood up, and started walking toward Alec.

"Hey, baby." Trix purred. "What brings you here?"

Before she reached him though, Alec grabbed Max and pulled her out of the room, slamming the door behind them.

"Are you crazy?" He whispered hotly to her as he leaned against the door to keep it closed.

"What?" Max asked, stunned.

"She's in heat, Max, why the hell did you bring me here?"

"Heat? What are you talking about Alec?"

It was Alec's turn to look stunned. "You don't know about heat?"

"No. Should I?"

"Yes. You should have been told by now. I thought that you were told."

"No. When were you told about it? And what is it?"

"We were told just before we moved here. A dozen of us were walking through the X-4 barracks, and one of the females was in heat. A doctor came and took the female away, and we were told that night. You see, all of the X-5 series is made with feline DNA. Because of that, you girls go into what they call heat. You well...basically you go and find a guy to mate with. It doesn't matter who the guy is, you'll mate with the first one you can get your hands on normally."

"So that explains the dream..."

"What dream? Max?"

"Trix said that she dreamed about...nearly mating with a guy. Then she woke up, and came to us. She said she had a urge."

"You should have told me that earlier. Then I wouldn't have gone in. You see, Maxie, an X-5 in heat is **very **hard to resist. You're lucky that Trix has only just gone into heat, otherwise...well, you get my meaning right?"

Max's eyes widened. "You mean, you would have...with Trix?"

"Like I said, it's very hard to resist an X-5 in heat. We need to get a doctor here, Max. Right now. Come on, we'll see if Dr Aly's in."

"But...Jondy? She's still in there."

"Don't worry about Jondy. She'll be fine. Is there a way to lock your door, Max?"

"No. Here. I'll hold it, while you get a head start. I'll signal Jondy to keep Trix in the room."

"Okay."

Alec started running down the corridor, while Max stood in front of the door. Looking in, she saw Jondy still seated on her bed, and Trix pacing in front of the door. Catching Jondy's eye, she quickly signaled that she needed her to keep Trix in the room, no matter what. At Jondy's nod, Max started running after Alec, managing to catch up with him just as they reached Dr Schinkoff's office. Pausing at the door, they heard the clacking of keys, and so walked in. Aly sat behind the computer, typing up something. Alec coughed softly, causing her to look up and see them standing in her doorway.

"Max? Alec? What are you doing here? It's after midnight, you shouldn't be wandering the halls."

"We need your help, Dr Schinkoff. Trix has gone into heat for the first time." Alec explained.

"Oh. I see. Well come, show me where she is."

Max and Alec led Aly back to the barracks, and to Max and Jondy's room. Before they opened the door, though, Aly stopped.

"Alec. You better go back to your room. Make sure that you don't come out until morning. Make sure that none of the boys do, ok?"

"Ok. Good night Maxie."

"Night Alec."

When Alec had disappeared Aly opened the door and walked in, Max following behind her.

"Trix, I take it?" Aly asked.

"That would be me. Who're you?"

"I am Dr Alynyn Schinkoff. You, Trix, are going through a stage at the moment, and I need you come with me."

"And why would I want to do that? I was planning on having a little fun tonight."

"Ah, but if you come with me, you will get to have a lot of fun."

"Really?"

"Really. Come on now Trix, follow me."

Aly ushered Trix out the door, one hand grasping her shoulder. As she went to shut the door, she whispered, just loud enough for Max and Jondy to hear, "I won't let anything happen to her. She'll be fine in 48 hours."

"Ok." Max replied, watching as Aly shut the door behind her.

"What was that all about?" Jondy asked.

"Sit." Max ordered. "I'll tell you the whole story."

…

Two nights later, Max and Jondy sat in their room after lights out, talking. They had been sitting there for about an hour when Alec joined them, and sat down with Max on her bed.

"I never did get to talk to you about two nights ago," Alec started. "We're doing so much training that I'm surprised they give us time to eat and sleep anymore."

"What did you want to talk about, Alec?" Max asked.

"Did your unit get talked to, about...you know..."

"Yeah, the Colonel talked to all of us last night, while you guys were doing kitchen duty."

"Was that why you got out of kitchen duty?"

"Yeah. Lucky us I guess. But Alec, there's something I've been thinking about. You said that you got told after an X-4 went into heat. But why would she have? I thought X-4's didn't have feline DNA."

"Oh, some of them do. There were a couple of X-4's with feline DNA back at the old place. Not many, but a few."

"Can we stop talking about this?" Jondy interrupted, "It's not exactly the best subject to talk about is it?"

"I guess not. But what else do we talk about?" Alec asked.

"What I want to know is, why did Trix come to me and Jondy? She could have gone to anyone, but she came to us. Why?" Jondy replied.

"Because I knew you two would help me. Anyone else would have told me to get back to bed."

Max, Jondy and Alec all looked around at the door, where Trix stood, arms crossed over her chest.

"Is this an invite-only or can anyone crash?" She asked.

"Come in Trix. Sit on Jondy's bed, there's more room." Max answered. "Where did Aly take you?"

"To the infirmary. They had me in one of those cell-rooms. It wasn't that bad actually. I just had to stay in the room for 48 hours. Not the best thing to be doing in the world, but it was a better option than...well, jumping the first guy I saw. Like Alec. I'm really sorry bout that, Alec, I wasn't myself."

"I know. It's happened before."

"It has? Who to?"

"One of the X-4's back where we came from. You know what it was don't you?"

"Yeah. That doctor you brought, Aly, she sat down and told me everything. She also told me that from now on, all of us will have to take medication, to stop it happening to anyone else. Which is good, because I certainly don't want to do that 3 times a year, and I'm sure you don't want to either. It's awful. But let's not talk about that. What's happened in the last two days?"


	22. the stars are old my friend

Chain Reaction

Chapter twenty-one – the stars are old my friend

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end, they both got caught?

…

'13

Zack stood on the edge of the Space Needle, thinking. The sun had gone down many hours ago, but he couldn't sleep. He rarely did sleep now, because whenever he did, his sleep was plagued with nightmares. Nightmares of what Manticore was doing to Max, and Jondy. And how it had been his fault that Star had nearly been caught just weeks ago. She had already been caught once, trying to save Tinga.

He wasn't supposed to know this, because Star still considered him to be a liability, but he had known. He would always know when one of his siblings was in trouble. It came from being CO. And maybe now that Star was CO, she would feel it too.

Sitting down on the edge, Zack dangled his feet over the edge. He knew that it was immature, but there was a certain feeling of freedom when you could wave your legs around in thin air. Sort of like the feeling you might get if you could fly, but muted.

Staring out over the skyscrapers Zack tried to make out something, anything. But there was nothing that he could see, even with his night-vision. So instead, he just concentrated on the streets surrounding him. So many people were still out, even though it was nearly pitch black. Most people couldn't afford homes these days, not after the pulse, and so they lived in the streets. Those who were lucky lived as squatters in abandoned buildings, but those were few and far between at the moment, and you also needed money to bribe the sector police.

Thinking of homes made Zack realize that he ought to get home soon. Otherwise the guy he roomed with, Donovan, might get worried when he woke up and Zack wasn't there. After all, Zack was only 15, and Donovan was nearly 20. Standing up again, Zack paused for a moment to look out as the sun began to rise.

…

Star wandered down one of the many alleys in Seattle, Micah by her side. They had arrived two days ago, and were planning on leaving in the morning. There was nothing for them to do in Seattle, except check on Zack. And they couldn't do that too much, or else he would realize, and get suspicious.

It wasn't that they didn't trust Zack, just that they worried about him. He had never again shown any sign of the madness that had overcome him three years before. If anything, he had become quieter, more drawn in. It was like he was afraid of them, afraid that he would hurt them. But for some reason, Star didn't think he would. Maybe it was because he hadn't shown any sign of it again, or maybe it was just that gut feeling she got sometimes. Usually when someone was in trouble, but often just when she knew she was right about something.

She had gotten that gut feeling just four weeks before, and come to Zack's rescue, when he was being chased by some of Manticore's men. She had saved him, like she had done so many times for the others, and then left him to be on his own once more. That was how it went, feel, save and then leave. Maybe take a trip with them first, to get them somewhere safe, but always leaving them. Leaving them alone. Because that was how it went. Instead of safety in numbers, for them it was safety in being alone – you had less chance of being noticed.

The only possible exception was herself and Micah. Try as she may, she could not get Micah to leave her by herself. She had lectured him so many times about the danger he would be in, about the amount of times he would risk his life, but he wouldn't listen. He would just nod his head and say that some one had to do it, so why not him? And even when she told him that she could do it by herself, he would shake his head and tell her that he was protecting her. When she asked what from, he wouldn't say. Just looked away from her, and changed the conversation.

So that was how it was, Star knowing when to save people, and Micah there to help her, to provide the backup. And to nurse the wounds that she nearly always received. It hadn't always been that way, Star knew that much. She thought it had started the year before, when she had gotten captured by Manticore, and had escaped with the help of Jondy. But, even though she would never admit it aloud, Star was glad to have Micah with her.

…

Watching Star as she walked along, Micah knew that she was thinking of something. She always got a look in her eye, like she was in a far off place, where no one could disturb her. And he would not disturb her when she was thinking, not ever. Instead, he watched the road ahead of them, to make sure that they ran into nothing, and nothing ran into them.

Glancing up, Micah saw the Space Needle, with someone sitting on it. Zooming in on the person, he saw that it was Zack. Typical. For some reason, all of the X-5's liked to go to the highest place possible, to think, or seek refuge, or just to look out over the world. It probably came from the High Place, the altar to the Blue Lady, and the feelings that came with that. The feeling of being a family, of being normal, and being loved.

Love. That was a word that they hadn't been taught, or had really known about at all. While they knew a little about it before the escape, it wasn't until after that they had discovered what it really meant. That they felt that warm feeling inside of them, and knew what it was.

Micah felt that feeling every day now, and was glad for it. He would never speak of it though, because that was not what Micah did. Unless he had to, he wouldn't speak, especially about things like feelings. And who knew what she would say to him if he told her what he felt. Better to just let that feeling live inside of him, than to let it out, only to be crushed.

Walking along, just thinking, Micah didn't realize that he and Star had come to the base of the Space Needle until they stumbled upon the base of it. Micah paused a moment, wanting to go up and look out over the world, but stopped himself. Pulling at Star's arm, he drew her away from the Needle, and headed in the direction of the bus station. They could spend the rest of the night there, and get on a bus in the morning. Where they were going to go, he didn't know, just that Star would decide and he would follow. Always follow. He would never leave her side, not ever.

…  


Tinga sat in her room, looking out of the window into the streets of Portland. There was no one about, because it was night, and the streets looked empty and desolate. There was nothing for Tinga to do but think, or let sleep take her. But she knew that if she did sleep, she would not sleep peacefully. It seemed that all of them, all the rogue X-5's, were plagued by nightmares of some kind. Of course, they hadn't told her themselves, but she knew. When Star had last come through, Micah had come with her. It seemed that Micah was looking after her, though Star did not acknowledge it herself.

It had been Micah who had told her of the others nightmares. Micah didn't talk much, not to anyone but Star usually, but when Tinga had woken in the middle of the night from a nightmare, Micah had been there and comforted her. He said that he was used to comforting others when the nightmares came, and that it made him feel better, knowing that he had helped them in one small way. And he had told her that he was worried, worried sick about Star, because she wasn't sleeping at all, and was wearing herself out.

The only advice Tinga had give Micah was to help her get to sleep. Tinga could feel that there was something between Star and Micah, something neither of them would talk about, and that Micah could heal any wound Star had, be it physical or mental. And that by being there with her when she went to sleep, Star would sleep easier, because Micah was there with her, watching over her.

Tinga herself knew how much easier it was to fall asleep when you were being watched over by someone you loved, for that was what was between Micah and Star, love. How many nights had Tinga herself watched over her fellow brothers and sisters, and seeing how much easier they slept? And even now, out in the real world, she still looked after people.

Right now, she was living in a foster family, and was acting as nanny to the younger two children. The youngest, a girl of only one, was often waking in the night, and needing calming before she could sleep again. Tinga would go to her, and pick her up and rock her in her arms. She would take her over to the window, and let her see the stars outside, and she would sing to her, so that she might sleep once more.

The words that she always sang came to her head, and Tinga began singing them out to the night.

_The stars are all my friends, till the night time ends  
So I know I'm not alone, when I'm here, on my own  
Isn't that a wonder, when you're alone  
You're not alone. Not really, alone._

She didn't know where she had picked up the song from, but it was engraven into her memory, and would remain there forever.

…

Lying on the empty beach, Krit waited for sleep to come and claim him. He would have nightmares, he knew, but he needed the rest. He wanted to be gone in the morning, and on his way to god knows where. He was looking for Syl, and he wasn't going to stop until he found her. He wondered again why he and Syl had agreed to split up when Star had found them. They were a team, partners, and they needed each other.

And if he couldn't find Syl, he would have to find Star and get the information out of her. After all, Star had a voice-mail account set up, so that all of them could tell her where they were, and if they were in danger, they could tell her so. They didn't always use it like they were supposed to, but in the end Star always found them and gave them a lecture about being safe.

It had been Star's idea to split him and Syl up, for safety. Personally, Krit thought that when he was with Syl, he was safer than when he was alone. And the same went for Syl. They protected each other, and made sure that they other was always alright. But when Star ordered you, how could you say no? She was, after all, their CO.

Krit wondered what the others were doing. Syl was probably looking for him, hopefully, they would find each other soon. Tinga had been in Portland the last he knew, and was looking after some little kids. How she could stand those annoying little brats, Krit didn't know. Star was probably out rescuing someone, and most likely, Micah was there beside her. They were just like himself and Syl, perfect partners. As for Zack, Krit had no idea. He knew that he was still in Seattle, but that was it.

Zane was working in a mechanics place somewhere near the Canadian border; Cass was most likely just wandering from place to place, enjoying whatever he found. Ben, well, no one had heard from Ben except Star, and she refused to tell anyone. But Krit thought that Ben would be chasing after every scrap of information he could find about anything and everything. Cali was probably living with some family, playing the part of the innocent young girl to perfection. And Brin, she was probably trying to do as many things as possible at once.

And the ones that had been left behind, Krit knew what they were doing. They were training, fighting, learning, spying and so much more. No doubt Manticore was harder on them than they had ever been before. Krit felt a twinge of sadness at the thought of what they must be going through, the ones they had left behind.

Just as the sun started to rise above the ocean, Krit fell asleep, his last thought that he would find Syl even if it took him the rest of his life to do it.

…

Syl wandered down the road that was lit by the occasional streetlight. After leaving Krit in Memphis, she had wandered around, not really going anywhere in particular, for nearly a year. Truth to tell, Syl felt empty, hollow. It was like a huge part of her was missing, and that the space it had left was not going to be filled easily. Unless she found Krit again, that was.

And that was what she had been doing for a year now, unconsciously looking for Krit. He would make her feel whole again, and they could wander together. If Star thought that two X-5's staying in one place was unsafe, then they wouldn't stay in any one place. As long as they were together, Syl didn't care where they were.

As she walked along, Syl looked around her at the houses. These people had everything, a normal life, friends, a place to sleep at night, and they didn't have a secret government agency out looking for them. What she wouldn't give to have that kind of life with Krit, one of security, of promises kept, and hearts unbroken. Of innocence and childishness, of love and compassion. If she had that kind of life, Syl would be very happy.

As she came to the end of the road, Syl looked out over the beach that lay in front of her. She loved beaches, and the peacefulness that came with them. While she didn't like the water, Syl loved listening to the sound of the waves lapping on the beach, and often fell asleep listening to it. She thought about going down to the sand, and as she was thinking she spotted someone lying asleep on the sand. The sin was just rising, and in the dim light, Syl could make out Krit's distinct features.

Running down the beach, Syl paused just as she reached Krit. He looked so peaceful that she decided not to wake him up. No doubt he hadn't slept in ages, and if he had, it was probably filled with the same nightmares that plagued her. Instead, Syl laid herself down beside him, so that they lay face to face, and curled her arms around him. He moved in his sleep, instinctively curling up against her. Resting her head on his chest, Syl closed her eyes and let sleep take over.

…

Max and Alec sat on top of the altar at the High Place. Max was curled up against Alec's side, his arm around her shoulder. Max watched as the moon continued on its way across the sky, and saw that the eastern sky was tinted a slight red. The sun would be up soon, and they would have to go back down to the barracks.

Max didn't want the night to end. This morning Alec was going away, with nine others, to do some training in the field. Max and Jondy's group would go out the day after they came back, and the third group would go out after them. Max didn't like the thought of two weeks without Alec, but was glad that she was in Jondy's group. Much as the thought of no Alec made her sad, Jondy was much closer to Max than Alec would ever be. There was a bond between herself and Jondy, one that they could not explain if they tried.

Looking down at her arms, Max could just see a faint scar in the crook of her elbow. It had gotten there during one mission, when Max was partnered with Zack. They had been in a tree, and Max had fallen out, and somehow, something had punched right through her arm. The doctors thought it might have been glass, but as there was none left in there, it was anybody's guess. After she had fallen, Zack had picked her up and carried her all the way back to the barracks, and showed her injury to the Colonel. Max had been in the infirmary for three days, because she had lost so much blood from the wound, but Zack had stayed with her every night, only going during the day when he had to be at classes.

Remembering what Star had told Jondy, Max suppressed the urge cry out. Zack was no longer really Zack, not CO Zack anyway. No doubt he still looked like Zack, and spoke like Zack, but who knew how much different he thought now.

When Max felt Alec lightly squeeze her shoulder, she looked up at him. He wasn't looking at her, but was looking out at the horizon, with a look of dread on his usually unemotional face. She knew what he was thinking, that he did not want to leave. They all knew that they had to, because to disobey orders was life threatening now. Max gently brought up her hand and gently let it rest on Alec's face. He smiled down at her, before looking away again. In a few moments they would have to move, but for now, they would stay there, silent in each other's warm embrace.

…

Alec sat with his arm around Max's shoulder, lost in his own thoughts. In a matter of hours he would be leaving this place for the first time since he had come here three years ago. It was a scary thought, because he was so used to this place now, and the people in it. And Max. He would not see Max for two weeks, and Max was all that he lived for. She might not realize it, but he was in love with her. He knew that he wasn't supposed to know what love was, but he did. He couldn't remember who had told him about it, but he sure was grateful to them for doing so. At least now he understood why he felt so drawn to Max, so compelled to hold her and heal her wounds.

Alec knew that in Manticore, love was a forbidden thing. To know about it was bad enough but to actually feel it, or act upon it was the worst thing you could do. He did not understand why that was so, but felt that it was a rule to be obeyed for now.

Alec could tell that Max was also lost in her thoughts, because when he looked down at her, she had a far away look in her eyes, that was all too familiar. He knew that she was probably thinking of her family, and most centrally, Zack. Alec hadn't known the concept of family until Max had introduced it to him, and so couldn't think over his family, because they were all here, and he knew what they were doing.

Instead, Alec thought of the life that he might someday have, if he managed to escape this place. He knew that on the outside he was the perfect soldier, as too were Max and Jondy, but on the inside, all he could think of was getting out of this place. With Max and Jondy beside him of course. And oh, what a life they might have then. They could travel far away from here, and be a family. A family who were allowed to show their love for each other, and could talk to each other whenever they wanted, about whatever they wanted, without getting punished.

Just thinking of this life made Alec think once again of the task that awaited him, and he unconsciously gave Max's shoulders a squeeze. He didn't realize what he had done until she placed her warm hand against his face, and made him look down. Seeing the look on her face, of joy and sadness combined, Alec gave her a smile before looking away again. They would have to go in soon, they both acknowledged that, but for now, they would just remain silent in each other's company.

…  


Jondy stood on the middle section of the roof, watching over Max and Alec. She knew that she shouldn't be up here, because they had a right to be alone, but she just couldn't let Max go. Max was her partner, her best friend in the world, and she couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Alec for taking Max away from her, even thought it wasn't that often. Max was hers, and had always been, but Jondy could see that someday, maybe soon, that would change.

Jondy knew how Alec felt about Max, and knew that Max felt the same way back. And though they would not admit it to each other, a small part of their conscious acknowledged that the other felt the same way. Soon one of them would say something, they weren't able to keep things from each other for long, and the secret would be out. The only problem then would be the Colonel finding out. And if he did find out that there was something between them, it could have disastrous results.

Instead of dwelling on such horrifying thoughts, Jondy thought of the coming two weeks. She would have Max all to herself for two weeks. She knew that it was selfish to think that way, but she couldn't help it. They had been through too much together for her not to be jealous and therefore selfish. And even though Jondy knew that Max would be thinking of Alec quite often in the two weeks, she still couldn't help but smile.

Seeing that the sun was about to rise, Jondy silently started back across the roof, toward the edge. Climbing down the drainpipe, she then entered hers and Max's room. She climbed into the bed, and pulled the thin sheet up to her shoulders. Closing her eyes, she pretended to be asleep.

It was only minutes later that Jondy heard Alec and Max come in through the window. They said nothing to each other, but once Max had closed the door behind Alec after he left, Jondy heard Max give a small sigh. She waited for Max to climb into her bed, but was surprised when she felt Max stand next to her. She waited, still pretending to be asleep, not sure what Max was doing. After a minute or two, Max bent down and hugged Jondy around the shoulders and placed a sisterly kiss on her cheek, before standing upright again and walking back to her own bed.


	23. chain of command

Chain Reaction 

Chapter 22 – the chain of command

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…

'13

Max marched down the corridor with the rest of the X-5's, on their way to the mess hall for night meal. They had spent the afternoon in the sparring room, and most of them were worn out, and had various bruises on their bodies. Max and Jondy were at the back of the lines, talking quietly, and didn't hear the TAC leader tell them to stop. Instead, they kept walking, until they were just about to run into Beck and Lara. They managed to stop in time, and stopped talking to try and find out why they were stopped.

At the head of the lines, the Colonel was talking to the TAC leader. Even with her enhanced hearing, Max couldn't make out what they were saying. She waited impatiently, silently tapping her foot on the ground, for the Colonel to say something to them. When he finally did acknowledge the X-5's, it was only with a salute, before he turned around and led them down a side corridor, away from the mess hall.

Beside her, Max heard Jondy grumbling to herself. Instead of saying anything to her, as she usually would, Max tried to hear if any of the others knew what was going on. But the group was silent, but for a few soft grumbles about not going to eat on time.

When the Colonel finally called the group to a halt, they were in one of the classrooms that had been empty for a year or more. The desks and chairs were stacked up against the furthest wall, and the rest of the room was left bare. The Colonel ordered the group to form three lines in front of him, and waited until they had done that before speaking again. Max had managed to get into the front row, and watched his face as he paced along in front of them.

"You have been together for three years now X-5's. In that time, you have become a team, a seam-less, efficient team. There is only one part of that team that is missing. What is that?"

Max looked at the X-5's in the front row out of her peripheral vision. Some faces held a look of confusion for a brief minute, before the soldier mask kicked back in. When no one answered him, the Colonel stopped his pacing, right in front of Max.

"X-5 452. What is this team missing?"

"Sir, I do not know, Sir."

"I think you do 452."

Realization struck Max, and she answered quickly, "Sir, we are missing a leader. Sir."

"Correct."

"Permission to speak, Sir?"

"Granted 598."

"Sir, I was under the impression that myself and 601 were the leaders of the team, Sir."

"You were acting as leaders until such time as I saw fit to appoint the new leader of your team. Understood, 598?"

"Sir yes Sir."

"Now, I have chosen your new leader. You will obey them, and their second-in-command, and will respect them. If I hear of any insubordination, I will see fit to punish the offender myself. Understood?"

"Sir yes Sir."

"Good. X-5's 598, 601, 452 and 494 step forward."

Alec was at the end of the front line, next to Max, and they stepped forward at the same time. From the second row, 598 stepped out to the front, and Sef made his way to the front from the third row.

"X-5's 601 and 598 have been your commanding officers until now. From this moment on, I release you from that position. Your new commanding officer is 452, and your second-in-command 494. X-5 598 and 601, return to your place."

598 sent a quick, glowering look at Max and Alec, before returning to his place. Sef, however, flashed Max a grin, and walked back.

"X-5 452 and 494, you will stay here for debriefing. The rest of you are dismissed. You may return to the mess hall, and once finished, you may return to the barracks for rec. time, until lights out. Your CO and 2IC will meet you there. Dismissed."

Jondy shot Max a grin, before stepping into line beside Blak, and following the rest of the unit out of the room. Once they had gone, the Colonel shut the door, before walking back to where Max and Alec were still at attention.

"At ease, 452, 494. I am only going to keep you here for a little, as you must eat as well. Firstly, I want to congratulate both of you on being good enough to become leaders. You have both earned it. Secondly, I want to talk of your first outside mission.

"The two of you will be going on a data retrieval mission in Portland. You will receive a full briefing before you leave in seven days time. You will have ten days to complete the mission, and return to base. While you are out on the field, you are required to contact base every morning, at 0700, unless otherwise specified. Understood?"

"Sir, yes Sir."

"Good. I want you to spend the next six days training together, so that you know each others style as well as your own. While the rest of your unit is in class, you are permitted to use the seventh sparring room, the gymnasium, and are also permitted to use the firing range. On the sixth day, you will be required to report to TAC leader Benson, who will fill you in on the mission specifics, and fit you out with id, clothing, weapons, equipment and cash. You will leave on the seventh day, at 0400 hours. There will be a car waiting for you outside the barrack, and it is your duty to learn how to drive it, 494, sometime this week. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir."

"Have you any requests for names?"

"Sir?"

"Names, 452, I presume you know what they are?"

"Yes Sir."

"Then why did you question me?"

"I did not understand your meaning Sir. But I understand now."

"Well. Have you any request?"

"Well, sir, I wish to be called Max."

"That's a males name. Pick another."

"Maxie?"

"Maxine."

"Yes Sir."

"And you, 494. What of you?"

"Alec, Sir."

"You will be Allen. I will have TAC leader Benson notified. You are to tell your unit nothing of this, understood?"

"Yes Sir."

"You are dismissed."

Max and Alec marched out of the room, shutting the door behind them. When they reached the turn off for the mess hall, Max stopped.

"Do you really want to eat now Alec?"

"No. But where else can we go?"

"The barracks. We were told to meet everyone there. Why not just go straight there. They might be there already."

"Ok."

…

Seven days later

0350

Max sat on the edge of her bed, silently tapping her foot on the ground. She watched over Jondy, making sure that she was still asleep. If Jondy woke up, Max and Alec would have to give her some sort of reason for where they were going. And while Max told Jondy everything, she couldn't tell her this. Max didn't know why she couldn't tell her, but every time she started to say something to Jondy, something else had come up, and they would have to stop talking. So Max just decided to keep quiet about it, and tell her all about the mission when they got back.

A quiet tapping at the door caught Max's attention, and she turned to see Alec waiting for her. She silently got up and walked to the door, opened it and walked out. Alec closed the door behind her, and they started walking down the corridor together.

"Everything ok Max?" Alec asked after they were out of the X-5's corridors.

"Yeah. Me and Jondy haven't slept in days, so when I said I was going to go to sleep, she went to bed as well. I'm glad I'm good at stealth too, because Jondy's a light sleeper. But what about you, you ok?"

"I'm always ok. And besides, it would take a bomb going of in Nick's ear to wake him up before dawn. He likes his sleep."

"Yeah. Alec?"

"Yeah Maxie?"

"I wish I could have told Jondy that we're leaving. She's going to be really worried."

"I know. But we can't help that."

"I guess. I still wish I had of said something."

"Don't worry about it Max. We can tell all of them about it when we return."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right Alec."

"I'm always right Maxie."

"You are not."

"Prove it."

"What about the time you said the Colonel had a heart attack?"

"A reasonable assumption. Given his state."

"Bull. But what about when you said Gem died on a training mission?"

"I thought she did."

"You were still wrong."

"So?"

"You said you were always right. And that proves that you aren't."

"Oh shut it Maxine."

"Why don't you Allen?"

"You going to take me on?"

"I would."

"Then why not?"

"Because you have to shut up, get in the car, and drive. Or haven't you noticed, Alec, we're here already."

"Oh. Well, what are you waiting for? Get in the car."

"I was waiting for you to unlock it."

"Oh. There, it's unlocked, get in."

"Wait a minute. Aren't we forgetting something?"

"No, what?"

"We're still in our night gear Alec. We need to change. Here, you go behind the car, and change there. Don't look."

"Embarrassed Maxie?"

"No. But you might be."

Alec opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Max shoved a pile of clothes into his arms, and he quickly walked to the other side of the vehicle to change. Once he had finished, he called out to Max.

"You ready?"

"Almost. Give me a second. Okay, I'm done."

Alec walked around the car, and stopped in mid-step. Max was wearing a short blue skirt, and a strapless bright yellow shirt that clung to her skin. She had her arms crossed over her chest, and glared at Alec.

"If you laugh I will kill you."

"I wouldn't laugh at you. Besides, you look good Max."

"You think so?"

"Of course I do. Would I lie to you Maxie?"

"Yes."

"Okay, forget that. But I promise you, you look good."

"So do you Alec." Max replied, taking in the sight of Alec wearing a pair of baggy black shorts, and a loose white shirt.

"I always look good."

"I wouldn't go so far as to say that Alec."

Alec pressed a hand against his heart, and acted hurt. "You cut me deep Max. You cut me deep."

Max tried to keep a straight face, but failed. She burst out laughing, and soon enough, Alec joined her. When they finished laughing, Alec pulled Max to his side and gave her a hug.

"Let's get going, k Maxie?"

"Okay."


	24. day one

Chain Reaction 

Chapter 23 – day one

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end, they both got caught?

…

'13

0500

"I'm bored." Max whined in Alec's ear. "Are we there yet?"

"Max, we've only been in the car for an hour. We've still got another seventeen hours drive left."

"So? I'm still bored."

"You're a genetically enhanced soldier, trained to sit for hours in the pitch black, in silence, and you're bored?"

"Yes."

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it."

"You can think of something for me to do."

"Like what Max?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking you."

"Well I have no idea. Why don't you turn on the radio and listen to that."

"The radio? How do I turn it on?"

"Push that button. Then select the channel you want to listen to. Or you could see if there are any CD's in our gear, and listen to that."

"Oh. Give me a minute."

Max undid her seatbelt and turned around in her seat. There were three bags on the backseat, one full of clothes, the other two with equipment. In one of the bags she found a portable CD player and a stack of CDs. She grabbed them and pulled them out, and turned around again. With the CDs in her lap, she read the titles out to Alec.

"Ok, we have Mozart, Beethoven, Moulin Rouge, the Corrs, the Beetles and Avril Lavigne. What do you want? Wait a minute, there's one more. It's...Alec, do you remember that dream?"

"What dream Max?"

"The one we had when we were out in the forest, being rewarded for doing the mission."

"Well, yeah. How could I forget? Why?"

"You remember the start? How I was dancing with that Logan guy?"

"Yeah. Max, just spit it out."

"We were listening to a song by Sibelius. And I have his CD here."

"So?"

"Don't you think it's weird? The music I heard in that dream turning up in our gear, that Manticore selected for us?"

"I guess you have a point. Put it away Max. We'll listen to something else."

"What?"

"How about that Moulin Rouge one. Try that."

"Ok." Max shoved Sibelius' CD onto the backseat, before opening the glove box. She put all of the CDs in there, except for Moulin Rouge, which she opened, and put the CD into the CD player.

"Do you want to listen to the whole thing, or just some songs?" Max asked Alec.

"How about we listen to every song, but if we don't like it, then we can skip it?"

"Okay."

The music started, but Max and Alec quickly got bored with the first song, and the second, but left the third to play most of the way through. It wasn't until they came to the 10th song that they listened to the whole song. When it finished, Max hit the repeat button.

"What are you doing Max?"

"I like this song. Sing it with me?"

"I can't sing."

"So? I can't either."

"You're dreaming if you think I'm going to sing along with a pre-pulse song from a movie about the Moulin Rouge."

"No fair. Oh well, I'll sing it."

'Love is a many splendid thing

Love lifts us up where we belong

All you need is love

Please don't start that again

All you need is love...'

By the time Max had gotten through her third rendition, Alec had joined in, singing alone with Max. When they finished, Max hit the pause button, and turned and looked at Alec.

"That was fun wasn't it Alec?" Max asked slyly.

"Well..." A slight smile appeared on Alec's face.

"See! You enjoyed it!"

"Ok, ok. It was moderately fun."

"You're lying."

"Okay...It was the best fun I've had in ages."

"Now that's more likely. Shall we do it again?"

They spent the next hour singing along with the rest of the songs on the CD. When they came to a small town, Max stopped the music.

"Alec?"

"Yeah Max?"

"I'm hungry."

"Max, we ate three hours ago."

"So? That food tastes like crap. We have money, Alec, we can buy something decent to eat."

"But we don't need food."

"So? That's not the point Alec. Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"Jeez Max, not the pout! Now I'll have to say yes."

"Thank you Alec!"

…

2200 hours – Portland

Alec parked the car outside of the hotel that they were staying at. It was a two-story building that didn't look quite as run down as the rest of the town. Alec got out of the car, and gathered their gear from the backseat before locking Max in. He took their gear inside, got their key, and took it all up their the second floor room. He then walked back downstairs and out to the car. Unlocking Max's door, Alec undid her seat belt for her, and then picked her up in his arms. Shutting and locking the door behind him, Alec started back into the hotel. When he reached the stairs, Max stirred.

"What? Where?" Max asked, looking at Alec through sleepy eyes.

"Shh, Max. Go back to sleep. We're at the hotel. You need to sleep."

"Mm-kay."

Alec laughed to himself as Max turned her head back into his chest, and fell asleep once more. When he reached the room, he placed her on one of the beds. After taking off her shoes, he pulled the covers back, and shifted her so she lay under the covers. Satisfied that she was asleep, Alec got changed and got into his own bed, and fell asleep immediately.


	25. day four

Chain Reaction 

Chapter 24 – day four

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end, they both got caught?

…

'13

Portland

Max fiddled with the eggs on her plate. Alec had been standing at the pay phone for 15 minutes, talking to Lydecker. Surely he couldn't have that much to say, could he? They'd gotten the information Lydecker wanted, and would be heading back to Manticore straight away. Finally, Alec hung up the phone and walked back to the table.

"So, what did Lydecker have to say?"

"If we come back today, we'll get our asses kicked from here to the end of the world."

"What?"

"We can't go home yet, Maxie. Don't ask me why, it's just the orders he's given us. Something to do with experience. I really don't know."

"But… what are we meant to do?"

"I asked the same question. He told me that we should take the opportunity to study the way people out here behave. Do some recon. Bring him back some good information, and he'd consider letting us have another mission soon."

"What kind of recon?"

"The kind that is worth something to him. Look, Max, I don't know what goes on in his mind. I just know that I really don't want to be going through punishment again. I get the feeling that what we went through after the escape would look like nothing compared to this."

Max sighed. She remembered those six months all too well. And while she thought that maybe her lot had faced worse than Alecs, having been caught trying to escape after all, the threat of having to go through something like that again was enough to make her very obedient.

"So. What are we going to do then, Alec?"

"How am I supposed to know? We've only been taking classes on outside stuff for a couple of months. None of us thought we'd be out on any missions anytime soon. We don't know enough."

"That's it."

"What?"

"Lydecker. He's testing us. Trying to find out whether we can survive out here without the proper training. See how much we can pick up just be being out here."

"Huh. You're probably right."

"Probably right? Probably? I'm always right, Alec."

"Whatever you say, Max. Let's just… let's just go back to the hotel and figure out what the hell we're going to do for the next 6 days, okay?"

Max nodded, and stood up. As she did so, she saw a face quickly draw away from the window. She quickly moved toward it, but by the time she could get a proper view, the person was gone.

"Max? What is it?"

"I thought I saw something. Someone. Never mind. It was probably just some kid playing a trick."

What Max didn't tell Alec was that the face had looked familiar. Older, but familiar.

…

Manticore

Jondy glanced at the empty bed opposite hers once more, before leaving the room to join the rest of the X-5s. Max had been gone for three days, and the Colonel wouldn't tell them anything about where she and Alec were. She knew it wasn't solitary, because neither had done anything to warrant that. Not to mention that one of the X-4s had come out of solitary only the day before, and had overheard the guard saying that it would be an easy couple of days, now that their only occupant was gone.

Jondy was worried. So were the others in the unit, but none was quite as worried as Jondy. Well, maybe Lucki, who was usually Alec's partner. She and Jondy had been working together over the past three days, and they had been talking about the disappearance of the two a lot.

The day went past slowly. Food, drills, classes, food, more drills, workouts, food, more workouts, and finally time for their own purposes. The majority of the X-5s spent the time in the recreation room, where they were allowed access to a number of books and training videos. Most simply used the time to relax overworked muscles, talk to others or nap.

Jondy curled up in one of the corners with Blak, Trix, Lucki, Sam and Toni. They had come together the night before to try and figure out where Max and Alec where – it was then that Jondy found out they weren't in solitary confinement.

"Do we have any new news?"

"Nothing. Not a single thing. I've listened in to so many conversations today I'm surprised that no one caught me at it."

"I'm surprised you didn't too, Blak. You're getting bigger these days. Harder to miss."

"You're not all that small yourself, Lucki."

"Hush, you two. We need to find things out. The only question is, how?"

"Maybe..."

"Maybe what, Sam?"

"Maybe that doctor who helped Max out with her shakes might know something?"

"I don't know. She's only a doctor, and she's primarily here for the X-6s and X-7s. But... it's worth a try. We could go tonight?"

"That won't work Jondy. One of the things I overheard today is that the X-6s have an overnight drill. There'll be far too many people about. We can't risk it."

"Okay. Then… tomorrow night? We could meet in my room; you all know where it is. About an hour after lights out?"

The others nodded. Blak and Trix got up and moved to the other side of the room, where a competition of some kind was going on. Sam and Toni curled up together and closed their eyes.

Jondy edged closer to Lucki, and tentatively laid her head on Lucki's shoulder. A couple of seconds passed, and Jondy was just about to move away, when Lucki's arm curled around her waist, holding her gently.

"I'm worried, too, Jondy."

Only a few meters away, the back of the chair hiding him from their view, 598 thought over this information. It was time to get even. And maybe convince the Colonel that only he deserved to hold the position of CO.


	26. day five

Chain Reaction

Chapter 25 – day 5

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end, they both got caught?

…

'13

Portland

Someone was watching Max. She had an idea as to who it was, but every time she looked around, there was no one in sight. It was frustrating her, knowing that one of her brothers was in the city, but not being able to find him. She still hadn't told Alec what she'd seen, afraid that he wouldn't believe her, and she didn't want to tell they were being watched, either.

Alec was, at this moment, chatting with a group of young boys. They had been playing some kind of game when Alec and Max walked past, and they had stopped to watch. Once the game was over, Alec approached one of the boys, trying to find out what the game was, and what the rules were. That had been almost half an hour ago, and Max was getting both bored and annoyed. Bored, because the boys refused to talk when she stood near them, and annoyed at the hidden watcher.

Looking around again, Max spotted a tall tree only a few yards from where Alec and the boys were. Even if she couldn't spot the watcher from the tree, she'd at least have something to do. Rubbing her hands together, she walked over to the tree, grasped the closest branch, and swung herself up onto it. It took her only a few minutes to climb to the top, and survey the buildings around the area. There was no sight of anyone suspicious, or anyone under the age of 20 apart from the boys in the street.

With a sigh, Max started to climb back down the tree. When she got closer to the ground, she picked a thick branch, and sat on it, her back against the tree trunk. Alec would see her, eventually, once he was ready.

…

After almost an hour of talking, the boys began to head off, and Alec walked over to the tree Max was perched in. He'd spotted her climbing it earlier, and felt sorry that the boys wouldn't allow her into the conversation. Reaching the tree, he grasped hold of a branch, and pulled himself up, climbing until he reached the branch Max was on.

"Sorry they wouldn't let you in on the conversation, Maxie."

Max stared at him. She didn't speak, or make any move.

"I really am, Maxie. I tried to get them to let you in, but they went on about girls being stupid and not knowing the first thing about anything and not wanting to be seen talking to girls. I didn't really understand much of what they were saying other than that."

Max still didn't say anything.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? But there wasn't anything I could do about it. And once I got them talking, they had some interesting stuff to say. You want to know what they told me?"

Max raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Alec, figuring two could play that game, offered up none of the information. They sat, staring at each other, for a few minutes, before Max broke the silence.

"Okay. Fine. You couldn't help it. That information had better be worth something good."

"It will be. They told me they'd seen a boy just like me, about a year ago. He was weird, they said, didn't know how to talk properly or do a lot of things. They just figured he was a bit stupid, and never asked him to play their game again."

"Ben?"

"I think so. They didn't tell me his name. But they said he definitely looked like me. They also told me of some rumors they'd heard. About a girl in the town, with a weird tattoo on her neck, who can beat any boy in a fight, even if he's older than her. They haven't seen her themselves, probably because they're afraid of being beaten by a girl, but they've heard lots of rumors about her."

Max closed her eyes, thinking of her sisters that had escaped. It could be any of them, really.

"The only other thing they could tell me about her was that she was dark skinned. Or at least, darker skinned than they were. They seem to think that anyone who isn't as white as they are can't be as good as them."

"Dark as in really brown skin, or olive/brown skin?"

"Not really brown. They called that something else. I don't remember what."

"It'd have to be Brin, or Tinga then. Cali's skin is almost black, and Star and Syl are both as fair as us. Alec..."

"You shouldn't call me Alec, remember. But what is it?"

"The other day, when we got the orders from Lydecker to stay here? I thought I saw a face in the window."

"A face? Who?"

"I think it was Micah."

…

Micah had been walking for almost an hour before he found a payphone that actually worked. Slipping into the booth, he inserted some coins, and dialed the voice-mail number. Star had promised she would check it at least once each day, in case trouble happened.

Counting the days off in his head, Micah reckoned that Star should be finished saving Brin, and halfway to Portland by now. If she got the message within the next few hours, she should make it before sunset tomorrow. If she didn't get the message until the next day, it might not be until the day after that that she got in.

Star's voice filled his ears, telling him to leave a message. After the tone, he spoke.

"Star, we have a problem. I spotted Max in the city limits yesterday, with another male. I followed them as best I could today, and confirmed it was her. The male looks like Ben, but that can't be right, can it? Isn't Ben on the other side of the country? Whoever it is, it means trouble. They weren't acting like they had escaped, which must mean they're on a mission. We need to let the others know that Manticore is using X-5s for missions now. They need to be wary. And you may need to get here fast. We'll have to relocate Tinga, and if Max and the male find out about us, it'll have to be soon."

After hanging up the receiver, Micah started walking back to Tinga's home, sending all his thoughts out to Star, in the vain hope that she would somehow hear him, and come quickly.

…


	27. day five, part two

Chain Reaction

Chapter 26 – day 5, part two

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end, they both got caught?

…

'13

Idaho

Star had been on the road only half an hour, when she felt a sudden urge to turn around and return to Boise. Pulling off the road, she let her bike idle while she tried to prod the feeling into giving off more information. Sometimes it worked, but most of the time it didn't. This time, it didn't. It was just a feeling, that she had to go back to town for something. She knew there was no one living in or near Boise. Now that Brin had been moved out of Salt Lake City, the closest person was Tinga, in Portland. Which meant that someone was in trouble, and had left a message on her voice mail system needing her help.

If she turned around now, she'd have to pass through the town border again. But since Star had no idea how long it would take her to reach the next town, she knew she'd have to risk it. Especially since the two people most likely to be in trouble were Brin and Micah. She didn't stop to think about which one it would be, but pulled straight back onto the road, and headed back toward Boise.

…

Portland

Tinga almost fell off her stool with shock. Micah grabbed her by the shoulder, and helped her steady herself.

"Maxie's here? As in, really here? You didn't mistake someone else for her? She's in the city? Now?"

"Tinga…"

"What, Micah? What could be better than Maxie getting out? And coming here? We have to go find her. We can help her. Give her... Micah? What is it?"

Micah sighed, and tried to remember how he'd meant for this conversation to go.

"She... she didn't get out, did she, Micah? She's not free?"

"No. She's not. She's still with Manticore."

"So, she's what? On a mission? But she's only 13. She can't be on a mission. She's too young. They can't have trained them up completely in just four years. Surely not?"

"She must be. There'd be no other reason for her to be out here otherwise." Micah paused. Tinga wasn't going to like what he had to say now. "Tinga, we have to leave."

"What? No. I won't."

"We can't stay here. What if more of them come here? What if Lydecker is here as well? We can't risk it. And besides, I already called Star."

"Oh, Micah. I don't want to leave here. It's a nice place. I like it here."

"It doesn't matter whether you like it. Even if Star loved this place, she wouldn't let you stay here. Not now. And she probably won't let anyone live anywhere near here for a couple of years. Just in case."

"Still… I thought I could make a home here. I thought it would work out."

"I know. Maybe you'll find another place, better than this. You never know. We'll help you find something, you know. We won't just leave you alone."

Tinga nodded. She didn't like it, but she knew Micah was right. And arguing with Star was plain crazy, without any hope of winning. But maybe she'd come back here, someday.

…

Max curled up on her bed, and turned on the cheap television set. The thing had only a couple of channels, with bad reception at that. Still, she was intrigued by all the programs that ran, programs that she was sure the Colonel wouldn't have approved of. One in particular, she'd watched for three nights now. It involved a doctor who never seemed to diagnose his patients properly. While she didn't know much about medicine, at least she knew that randomly testing and treating people probably wouldn't work too well in the real world. Not to mention the system was completely inefficient. Still, it made for interesting watching, and was better than doing nothing.

While Max watched the television, Alec flicked through one of the old magazines he'd taken from the entrance hall downstairs. All it seemed to be concerned about was how to give the perfect kiss, and how to tell if your boyfriend was cheating on you. As a result, Alec spent more time watching Max watch her television show than reading the magazine.

When the show finally finished, Max turned the television set off, and looked over at Alec. He was looking at some old magazine, but he didn't seem to reading it. Max threw one of her pillows at him, and was rewarded when it hit him squarely in the head. He picked it up, and threw it back at her, but she dodged it, and it landed on the other side of the room.

"What were you staring off into space for? The magazine really that boring?"

"It's a girl's magazine, Max. Not something I find very interesting."

"So you were doing what? Meditating? Contemplating? Planning a brilliant escape?"

"No. I was just thinking. I think I'll go to sleep now, Max. You tired tonight?"

"Nah. I've already slept this week, remember?" Max replied with a grin. "I think I'll do some reading, or something, later. In the bathroom, so I don't disturb you. For now, I'm going to plan what we should do tomorrow."

"Okay."

Max lay on her side, watching Alec as he went to sleep. Sometimes, she wished she needed more sleep. It would be nice, maybe, to be able to close your eyes each night and shut the world away.

…

Star pulled up outside the apartment block Tinga had taken up residence in. She'd made it back into Boise without trouble, and found a working payphone. The message Micah had left troubled her, and she'd set off again as quickly as possible. She'd made record time, getting to Portland just as the sun was beginning to set.

She left her bike behind a thick set of bushes, not surprised to find Micah's there as well, and made her way up to Tinga's rooms. She knocked softly on the door three times, before rapping it with her knuckles twice. After a moment, Micah opened the door. He gave her a grin, before stepping aside and letting her in. Given the bags stacked up near the door, Micah and Tinga had been expecting her.

"You're back, Star." Tinga walked into the room, and greeted her with a brief hug. "Brin moved okay?"

"No problems. Am I going to have any problems moving you out of here?"

Tinga shook her head. "I'll play the good soldier, for now. I know you do this to look after us, even if it does get annoying, moving all the time. I really liked it here."

"It's not a bad place. But it could also be a very dangerous place. Are you ready to move out right now?"

Tinga nodded, and pointed at the three bags already packed. "I figured, since we're not actually running from anyone yet, I could take some of my stuff with me. It's not much. I can carry two, riding with Micah. If you'd take the other?"

"I'll take two of them. You'll balance better, with only one. And I've plenty of room on my bike."

Star picked up two of the bags, and started to head out the door. Micah followed her, while Tinga grabbed the third bag. She gave a last look back at the place that had been her home for almost a year, before heading out the door to join the others.

…

Manticore

Jondy led the way to the infirmary wing of the barracks. There were few guards out, and most of them were still lagging from the previous night's X-6 drill. The six X-5s didn't have any trouble getting around them.

When they reached Dr Schinkoff's office, the door was closed. After a quick conversation in hand signals, Jondy placed an ear against the door. The only sounds she could hear were the hum of the computer, and someone typing. Pulling back, she took two deep breaths, and knocked quietly on the door.

When it opened, Jondy almost cried out. The person tapping at the computer wasn't Dr Schinkoff. It was Lydecker. Beside the door stood 598, a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

…

Portland

Max had given up on the magazines after only an hour or two. They contained very little interesting information, and couldn't hold her attention for more than a couple of minutes at a time. She went back into the main room, and lay back down on her bed. Alec was still sound asleep in his bed, with his back to her. Closing her eyes, Max allowed herself to simply think about nothing in particular.

She was startled out of the calm state sometime later, by a sharp rapping on the door. Getting up slowly, Max walked over to it. It was barely one in the morning, and most other people would be asleep at this time. She took a look through the spy hole, and gulped. Cautiously, she opened the door.

…


	28. the price you pay

Chain Reaction

Chapter 27 – the price you pay

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end, they both got caught?

…

'13

Manticore

Jondy wanted to scream. She wanted to kick something, or punch someone, or run away. But most of all, she wanted to scream. She couldn't. If she did, Maxie would die. If she moved, Maxie would be hurt. Hurt worse than she was already being hurt.

They had tried to find out where Max and Alec had gone, but had instead found Lydecker. A Lydecker who knew about the seizures. A Lydecker who knew about their rebellions. A Lydecker who would make them pay, thousands of times over, for their crimes.

Jondy had thought the psy-ops was the worst of it. Solitary she could stand. They had been taught a form of meditation the year before, and it was easy to slip into a trance like state for most of the time. The torture was hard, harder still when they were forced to watch the others being beaten. Forced to watch Maxie being beaten in an attempt to gain knowledge that they had all removed from their brains.

But the psy-ops had been the worst of it. They were horrible creatures, who could make you do whatever they wanted, with just a few choice words. They could look into your mind, and read everything they saw. The only fleeting relief Jondy felt was that their commands didn't stick. They couldn't force you to be what you weren't for more than a day. But they could make your life hell.

Only now, did Jondy realise that Lydecker had kept the worst for the very last. They had been released from solitary only that morning, and forced to march through to the infirmary wing, where all this had started. There, they had been separated into groups, and each group sent into one of the operating rooms. A doctor had given them a bunch of tablets, and watched each one of them as they swallowed them. The doctor had had a kind of mad look in his eyes, a gleam of power and pride and something akin to great pleasure.

And then, oh what happened then had been the worst. Maxie had fallen down, in the grips of her horrible seizures. And right after her fell Jace, shaking almost as bad as Maxie. The gleam of pleasure in the doctor's eyes had intensified absurdly, before he'd turned to one of the guards and instructed them to bring Lydecker.

He came quickly, too quickly. And the look in his eyes had been just as bad as the strange doctor's. While the doctor's had been full of pride and pleasure, Lydecker's had been full of anger. Anger, and something else. Something Jondy hadn't been able to identify. A minute had passed, while Lydecker watched Maxie and Jace seizing on the floor. Then the door was flung open, and three bodies were carelessly dumped onto the floor, also seizing. Scout looked terrible, blood running down his face from what looked like a broken nose. Beck also had blood all over him, though Jondy hadn't been able to see where it came from. And the third body...

The third had been thrown down on the wrong side of the room for Jondy to be able to see clearly, until their seizures peaked, with such energy that their whole body was thrown to one side. Jondy could then see them fully. It was Toni. Tiny Toni, who had grown so little in the last years that she was almost smaller than Maxie. Jondy had almost bit through her tongue to keep from crying out. To see Toni, who looked so much like herself, seizing just as badly as Maxie… it hurt so badly.

Before she had had any time to think more, the door opened again, and the rest of the unit was marched into the room, and ordered to line up behind Jondy's group. Lydecker had waited for them to form lines before he stepped in front of the whole group.

"This is a lesson. A lesson to be learnt by all of you. You can hide nothing from me. I know your every secret. I know your every fear. There is nothing about you that I do not know. This… fault has been ignored for too long. It will be remedied."

With that, he retreated to the doorway. The seizures of the five on the floor had started to weaken, although Jondy could see that both Toni and Maxie had been rendered unconscious by the sheer force of them. The doctor, who had been watching the five carefully, ordered the guards to pick up Maxie and Toni. They'd looked to Lydecker for confirmation, and he had nodded. And the worst of it all had started.

…

The last thing Max remembered clearly was opening the door to the four Manticore guards at the hotel. There were glimmers of memories, of someone hissing at her to forget everything, of a pair of pale blue eyes staring at her, staring through her. Of something breaking inside her. Of pain. And Jondy's eyes, so full of worry and pain. She had to tell her that everything would be all right. She had to let her know things would be fine. If only her eyes would focus, she would tell her. She just had to get up, but moving was so hard. A brief thought ran through her head, a horrible thought that she was tied down but shaking and oh there was that pain again and how could anything be right again** fear!** it was so painful she couldn't move **helpless!** but she was moving but that pain it hurt it hurt it **hurt!** and blackness was coming again and she could go to black and not be hurt tired shaking **pain!** blackness came.

…

Jondy woke slowly. They had been kept awake for days, forced to watch as those butchers pretending to be doctors had played with the seizing five's insides. Forced to stand at attention, and not make any move, any sound at all. Moving would have meant more pain for any one of the five. Noise would have meant death. And through it all, Lydecker stood at the doorway to the operating rooms, and watched. Watched as they were cut open, one by one.

A tiny sound from the other side of the room drew Jondy out of her thoughts, and she quickly got up. Maxie was waking, and she was in pain. Checking to make sure no guards were visible through the small window in the door, Jondy walked quickly over to Max's bed, and knelt down beside it. Gently, she took one of Max's hands, and held it in her own.

Minutes passed, and Max didn't move at all. Twice, a soft whimper escaped her mouth, and each time Jondy flinched. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, Max's eyelids fluttered. The whimper was louder, this time, but cut short. Jondy took this as a good sign. If Max could stop her whimpers, she must have her mind still, enough to know that any admission of pain would just get her more pain.

Slowly, carefully, Jondy reached out and touched Max gently on her cheek. It was one of the few completely scar free places on her body at the moment. Max shifted slightly, almost leaning into the gentle caress, before another whimper escaped her lips.

"Stay still, Maxie. Please, try not to move at all. You're hurt, and moving is just going to make you hurt even more. Just… if you can, if it doesn't hurt, open your eyes for me. Slowly, sweet. Don't rush anything."

Another few minutes passed before Max was able to fully open her eyes. They were clouded with pain and fear, but they were no longer bloodshot and weeping. Jondy gently brushed her hand against Max's cheek again, and gave her a tiny smile.

"You're alive. I thought… I thought for a while that… that you might not wake up. But you have, and you still seem to have your mind. And I know you hurt, a lot, but I can't help but be glad you're okay, Maxie. They hurt you so bad…"

Max's lips moved a tiny amount, and the pain shone in her eyes. She tried again, through the pain, and managed one word.

"What?"

"We got caught. We wanted to know where you and Alec had gone, so we tried to find you. Somehow, 598 heard our plans, and we got caught. Lydecker found out about your seizures, too, that they hadn't gone away. That was… weeks and weeks ago. He bought you back, when I don't know. We were in solitary. The whole group, except 598. Then there was the psy-ops. And the torture. And then the testing. They fed us all drugs, that made your seizures happen. Not just you, either, but Jace, Scout, Beck and Toni too. You and Toni had the worst of it – you were unconscious for a long while afterward, that was how bad they were. And… Oh, Maxie, they did to you what they did to Jack. All five of you. Only they must have figured out how to stop them somehow. Cos they never did anything that put you in danger of dying. They started 6 days ago. We had to watch. We weren't allowed to sleep. Just stand in the room and watch the five of you be hurt. They finished yesterday. I don't know what happened, but one of the doctors looked up at Lydecker and told him it was fixed. And they took you away. When I got back here, after drills, you were already lying on the bed.

"I… I'm so sorry, Maxie. This is my fault. If I hadn't tried to find out where you'd gone, none of this would have ever happened. I did this to you, caused you all this pain. I'm sorry. I wish I had done things differently. I wish I'd trusted that you would have told me if you could. But I was missing you so badly. I thought you'd been taken, at first. And I was scared for you. I'm so sorry, Maxie. I'm sorry."

Max's eyes had been on hers through the whole story. Now, Jondy looked down, unable to look into their depths any longer. They were full of pain, but also sorrow. Maxie blamed her for this, she knew. She had to. Jondy stared down at her knees, afraid to move again, afraid to look up in case those eyes were full of hatred.

A hand brushed against her face for the briefest moment, before dropping back onto the bed. Startled, Jondy looked back up at Max, and saw no hatred in her face, only the pain.

"Forgive." The word was barely a whisper, harsh and short. Max wet her lips, and tried again. "Forgive you. Not fault. Can't hide forever. Forgive you."

Jondy almost fell over from relief. Maxie didn't hate her. Maybe she blamed her, but she didn't hate her. And that was all that Jondy cared about.

"Sleep now, Maxie. Sleep, and heal. Hurts won't be so bad tomorrow. I'll watch over you."

A ghost of a smile flickered over Max's face, before she shut her eyes again. Within minutes, she was fast asleep. And Jondy stayed where she was, watching over her best friend.

…


	29. the walls come crumbling down

Chain Reaction

Chapter 28 – the walls come crumbling down.

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end, they both got caught?

…

'14  
Denver

Max resisted the urge to scream. Her body was trapped, buried beneath a pile of rubble. A multitude of scars, still not completely healed from the terror of a year ago, burned as pressure was applied and sharp corners dug into her skin. One leg was broken, and she couldn't feel the other. Only one hand, and part of her head, were free of the debris that had fallen on top of her.

The building had seemed sound enough. The mission should have been simple. Get in, get the documents, and get out. It hadn't even been risky enough to warrant sending another X-5 with her. They'd all been out on outside missions now, most at least four or five times. Only in the last month, almost a year to the day of the seizure incident, had Lydecker decided to send them out solo.

And now Max was paying for his confidence in their team. Only Lydecker knew exactly where she was, and he wouldn't be expecting contact from her for another 12 hours. The building was on the outskirts of town, in an area almost completely devoid of human life, and there was little hope that anyone still around would investigate the collapse. She couldn't afford to be found by anyone not from Manticore anyway – if she got caught, if she failed to return, Jondy would be hurt. Possibly killed. It was Lydecker's one safeguard. Whenever someone went out into the real world, their partner was kept back, to ensure no one tried to escape.

It had worked well so far. No one had dared to do so much as delay contact with Manticore for more than 10 minutes after the scheduled time. Even 598, the traitor, was dutiful enough not to risk endangering anyone. The rest of the X-5s shared a hatred of him, and he knew that. Knew that one wrong step, and he would be on the receiving end of a nasty accident.

And lying here thinking about the situation wasn't going to help her in any way. She had to find some way to get out, and get a message to Lydecker. She tried moving her free hand. She could stretch out the fingers, but moving beyond that was agony. Another broken bone to add to the list.

Carefully, she wriggled the fingers of her trapped hand. They moved with no pain. Next was the wrist. Still no pain. She could move her hand only a small amount underneath the rubble, but it might be enough. Carefully, trying not to move too fast or too much at once, she managed to get a grip on something above her hand.

The object felt like steel, and when she tugged at it, she felt a slight weight rise off her forearm before falling back down. The steel was trapping her arm in place. If she could just move it a little, roll it a little to one side, maybe she would get somewhere.

Many minutes later, Max managed to roll the steel rod off her arm, only to have something else fall down into it's place. Something hard and sharp, with a jagged edge that ripped at her skin as it settled into place. And try as she might, Max couldn't stretch out her fingers enough to touch the object, let alone get a grip on it.

Max closed her eyes. She could do nothing, for the moment. Her working hand was weak after moving the steel rod, and she wasn't going to get anywhere by wearing herself out completely. Time enough to rest for a short while, before trying again.

"I'm telling you, there's someone in here. I saw someone running towards the back door, just before the explosion. There's no way they got out of there before the whole thing came down."

"Maybe you're right. But who's to say they're still alive? Most people don't survive having a building collapse on top of them."

The voices startled Max into opening her eyes. Her field of vision was severely limited by all the debris surrounding her head, but she thought she could make out a body standing near the front entrance. If she weren't so desperate, if she could move just one more of her limbs, she could ignore them. But she was desperate, desperate enough to try her luck with whoever it was standing there.

"Help?" Her voice was barely a croak, her mouth coated in dust. Licking her lips, she tried again. "Help me. Please?"

The figure by the door turned sharply, and began making their way over to where Max lay. Another figure joined her after only a moment's pause. As they got closer, Max stifled a gasp.

"Micah? Star?"

Star grabbed Micah's elbow, stopping him from getting any closer to Max.

"Max?"

"Yeah. I'm in a bit of a jam here, right now, so if you'd mind giving me a hand?"

"Where are the others? I've heard nothing of anyone else escaping from Manticore, so you must be on a mission. Where's your partner? Any guards around as well?"

"Just me. Please, Star, I need you to help me. There's just me. No one else. I helped you once, when you were escaping Manticore. I didn't ask questions. Can't you please do the same for me?"

"You promise there's no one else?"

"I promise."

Star let go of Micah's elbow, and the two set to work moving the debris covering Max.

"Anything we need to be careful of, Max?"

"Broken right leg and right arm. Can't feel my left leg. Might be something squashing it pretty bad. And something's digging into my neck. I don't want that moved until the last, if you can."

Star nodded, and got back to work. They freed Max's left arm first, before moving down to free her legs. With her working arm freed, Max was able to carefully begin moving some of the wood and steel covering her stomach.

Almost an hour later, and Max was free. Her left thigh had been crushed beneath a heavy steel pipe, but it didn't feel broken. Her right leg was broken in two or three places, by the feel of it, and her right forearm had snapped in half. Her right shoulder was dislocated, and she suspected a number of her ribs were also broken. Biting through the pain, she managed to hobble out of the building, with the support of both Star and Micah.

"I need a public phone. One that has somewhere to sit. You can ditch me there."

Micah sputtered. "We aren't going to ditch you anywhere. You need help. Medical attention."

"And I'll get it. Back at Manticore. I can't not go back, Micah. He'd kill Jondy."

Star shot her a sharp look, eyes full of anger. "What do you mean, he'd kill Jondy?"

"She's my partner. Whenever I got out, he keeps her back. If I don't do exactly what he wants, if I don't check in on time, he'll hurt her. If I tried to escape, he'd kill her. I can't let that happen. She means too much to me."

"I wondered if he'd think up some crazy idea like that. He had to have some way to ensure you didn't decide to join the rest of your family out here." Star sighed. "I hate that he's holding Jondy hostage on you, Max."

"So do I."

They proceeded towards a small park area in silence. It was barely large enough to contain three small trees, but it had a seat, and there was a phone box on the corner of the road. Before they could cross the road to the phone, Max stopped.

"You shouldn't come with me. I don't know if they've got guards stationed here to take me back yet. If they do, they could be here in minutes. I can't risk you guys getting caught."

Star nodded. "We've risked enough just helping you this far. If it were anyone else, if we weren't just passing through, we wouldn't have done this much. You're my sister, Maxie, but you're still Manticore."

"I understand. Just... the others? Are they okay?"

"They're all fine. Haven't had to rescue anyone in almost a month."

Max smiled. "Tell them we still think of them? Still miss our brothers and sisters?"

"I will. Or Micah will. I promise. We need to go, Max. You'll be okay, won't you? You'll look after yourself as best you can?"

"I will."

Star drew Max in for a quick hug, before letting Micah throw his arms around Max and hold her tightly.

"I miss you, Max," Micah whispered into her ear, before stepping away. Star took hold of his arm, and gently starting leading him away. She threw a last look over her shoulder at Max, and gave her a smile, before they disappeared around the corner.

On her own now, Max struggled to make it across the road to the phone box. The tiny amount of pressure she had to place on her broken leg caused agony every step. When she finally reached the phone, she had to pause for a moment and take a number of deep breathes to steady herself. Then she picked up the phone, and dialled the check-in number. It was picked up after only two rings.

"X-5 452 reporting early due to mishap. Yes, sir. Objective achieved. Building collapsed before exit was reached. Yes, sir. Broken leg and arm. Yes, sir. Corner of Jewel and Belleview roads. Understood, sir."

It took Max almost ten minutes to reach the seat in the park. She lay down along the length of it, feet just dangling over the edge. She wanted to close her eyes and slip into a trance, but the guards coming to take her back to Manticore weren't that far away. She had to stay awake and aware of what was going on around her until then.

An hour later, a black SUV pulled up beside the park. Two Manticore guards stepped out, and walked over to her. Max sat up.

"X-5 452, sir." Max intoned, giving the guards a salute.

"You can walk?"

"Slowly, sir. And not well."

One of the guards helped her stand upright and slowly hobble to the back door of the SUV. The step into the vehicle almost caused her to black out in pain, and as soon as she was seated, she closed her eyes and began slipping into a trance. Without a word, the guards got into the front seats, and started the drive back to Manticore.

­…


	30. fragments of a whole

Chain Reaction

Chapter 29 – fragments of a whole

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end, they both got caught?

…

'14

Manticore

Alec was quiet, for a change. Jondy had mentioned it to her only the day before, but Max hadn't given it much thought. But now, sitting together on the edge of the roof in the high place, Max couldn't help but notice how quiet he was being. Usually, she had trouble getting him to shut up, especially up here where they could talk freely. The silence, though welcome after an especially hard day, was disconcerting. Max moved over slightly and leant against his side, slipping a hand into his. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, but didn't turn to look at her as she had hoped he would.

Max sighed. "Something is up with you Alec. The question is, what exactly is it?"

Now he turned to look at her. His free hand reached across her body and took hold of her right arm, bringing it back towards him. Turning her arm palm up, he ran a finger over the thick red scar that ran from the base of her thumb to her elbow.

"They didn't even bother to try and be neat, or keep the scars to a minimum. And I'm fairly sure that you have more scars, worse scars, which you won't let me see. You were already hurt badly, Max. Why inflict the pain of those surgeries as well?"

"They did what they had to, to make sure I would be able to use my limbs again."

"No, Maxie. They could have done that with the old techniques. They just jumped at the chance to have someone to test out their new methods on."

Max shrugged. She knew Alec was right. They could have fixed her broken bones and other injuries with their old methods. Even her crushed collarbone they could have mended in a simple surgery. Instead, she'd been dragged through round after round of surgeries, given multiple doses of different drugs, and forced to endure all of it without the benefit of pain medication.

And Alec was right that she had more scars he couldn't see. Her entire chest was a patchwork of red scar lines, and three dark raised scars ran in parallel lines down her back. Only Jondy had seen those scars, when Max had been unable to dress herself without considerable pain.

"How can you not care, Max? They're going to kill someone one of these days!"

"They'd kill someone if they heard us talking up here. We can't do anything, Alec. I can't risk losing Jondy. Or you. And if that means I learn to live through the pain, learn to ignore the scars, then so be it. I'd rather I was in pain, than either of you were suffering."

Alec punched the stone beside him. "I know that, Max. I know he'd hurt you if I stepped out of line. But I still hate what he's doing to you. And I can't just ignore it. I can't."

"I know." Max let go of his hand, and curled her arm around his waist. Alec looked down at her, and smiled. He lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulder, pulling her closer against his side.

"I wish I could keep you safe from harm, Maxie."

­…

Sacramento

Zane was hallucinating. Jondy was standing in front of him, a fuzz of dark brown hair covering her head, blue eyes gleaming. She was holding something behind her back, something Zane desperately wanted to see. But every time he tried to move, some force beside him pulled him back. And no matter how much he pleaded with Jondy, she wouldn't show him what it was she held. She just kept grinning at him, teasing him.

Tinga sighed as Zane lunged forward again, and Cass pulled him back onto the bed. Zane was definitely hallucinating again. He'd been calling Jondy's name for the last half hour, pleading with her to show him what she held. He'd been alternating between hallucinations and restless but deep sleep for the last 36 hours. She didn't know the full story of his illness, other than what Cass had been able to tell her, but he was definitely getting worse.

Cass had been meaning to just pass through the town, with a quick stop by to see if Zane still lived in the same place he had three months ago. Micah had told Tinga that story, of Star depositing Cass on Zane's doorstep with nothing more than a "help him" before tearing off to Los Angeles to save someone else. Zane did little more than set Cass's broken arm, strap it up, and give him a place for the night. Cass didn't stay anywhere for long.

When Cass had knocked on the door of Zane's apartment three days ago, Zane opened the door and promptly fainted. Cass had caught him, and managed to drag him back to bed. He had looked after him through the headaches and the coughing, even through the nausea and vomiting. But when the fever set in during the night, he had left a message for Star, asking for help.

Tinga had received a call from Star nearly two days ago, telling her that Zane was pretty ill, Cass was looking after him but needed a hand, and would she mind going to Sacramento for a couple of days to help him out until she could get there herself. She and Micah were on the other side of the country, somewhere around Maine, and it would take them awhile to get there. Which, knowing the speed as which Star and Micah rode, should be sometime in the next day.

Zane lunged, again, arms flailing as Cass tried to keep him down on the bed. One of Zane's fists slammed into Cass's eye, and he let out a loud curse. Tinga hurried over to the bed, and helped push Zane down. Once he was relatively calm again, Tinga let go of Zane, and took Cass's face in her hands. It was already beginning to swell around the eye, and there were two shallow cuts on his cheek from Zane's nails.

"Grab something frozen from Zane's freezer, wrap it up and hold it against your eye. Then go keep watch for Star and Micah. I'll mind Zane."

Cass obeyed, walking out of the room towards the kitchen. Tinga climbed onto the bed beside Zane, suddenly glad that it was a double. The only way she would be able to hold Zane down by herself would be to use all her weight. With a grin at the thought of what Zane would say were he in his right mind, Tinga straddled his body, placing most of her weight on his thighs. She made sure she could easily reach his shoulders without having to move any of her body weight from his legs, before reaching out to grab the book Cass had been reading before the latest hallucination cycle began.

­…

Manticore

The stars always seemed brighter from the rooftop. It didn't matter where on the roof Jondy lay, she could see the stars in all directions, and they looked brighter up here than they did from down in the grounds. They were learning astronomy at the moment, learning how to navigate their way by the stars. The Colonel had even permitted a few books detailing the common stories of the constellations to be placed in their recreation room, for any who wanted to know. They had been taught a handful of the stories in class, and for most, that was enough. But Jondy devoured each and every story that was in those books, and still longed for more.

There was Orion, the hunter, visible from every part of the world. In Greek mythology, Orion was born from an ox skin, and unknowingly slain by his own lover, Artemis. When Artemis begged for the gods to place Orion in the sky, Orion was placed beneath Taurus, the ox from whom he was born.

There was no lover to slay their personal hunter.

And there, above Orion and Taurus, was Perseus. For this star Jondy preferred the Christian's myth, which held that Perseus and Cetus represented St. George and the Dragon. Never mind that there were no such things as dragons. St George was the patron saint of soldiers, and surely he looked over her family just as the Blue Lady did.

Beside Orion was Canis Major, containing the brightest star in the night sky, Sirius. In Egypt, the rising of Sirius with the Sun heralded the flooding of the Nile, and marked the beginning of a new year. Canis Major also represented Anubis, god of the dead and the go-between of men and gods. In Greece, however, Canis Major and Canis Minor represented the two hunting dogs of Orion.

Jondy liked the Egyptian Canis Major better.

Here was Ursa Major, pointing the way to Polaris, the North Star. In Greek legend, Ursa Major was Callisto, and Ursa Minor her son, Arcas. The two constellations were more commonly known as the Big Dipper and Little Dipper, named for the shapes they made in the sky.

Six of the zodiacal signs were visible in the sky; Virgo, Leo, Cancer, Gemini, Taurus and Aries. Jondy knew little about the zodiac. She knew it was composed of twelve signs, connected to twelve constellations, and that people believed what star sign they were born under affected what they became, but that was about all. It was the same as the Colonel's treatment of religion. They knew the names and basic structural beliefs of the ten most common religions in the world, but an in-depth study had never been done.

The last three constellations in the sky were easy to name. Bootes, the herdsman. Andromeda and Cassiopeia, together with Virgo, representing the Earth Mother in her three aspects of maiden, matron and crone.

Jondy lay quietly for a time, running through the stories of the stars both seen and unseen in her mind. Only when the faintest hint of light began to show on the horizon did she get up and stretch out her body. She would have to go and find Max and Alec, and remind them that they needed to head back inside now.

…


	31. more fragments of a whole

Chain Reaction

Chapter 30 – more fragments of a whole

What if, in the escape of '09, Max hadn't escaped with the others? What if Jondy had tried to save her when she fell in the ice, but in the end they both got caught?

…

'14

Charlotte

Syl woke slowly, her mind fuzzy. She remembered eating dinner with Krit, and talking about where they would head off to next. They'd been in Charlotte for almost a month now, and they rarely stayed in any place for longer than that. She didn't remember going to bed, however. Slowly, Syl opened her eyes, but her sight was blurry. When she tried to raise her arm to rub her eyes, she found she couldn't lift it at all.

That was funny. It felt like her arms were tied down. She tried to move her legs. It felt like they were tied down too. She wiggled her hips. Nothing was binding her midsection, that was good. And her head? She rolled it from side to side, dropped it forward. Good, no ties there either. Her sight was beginning to clear as well, though slowly.

A noise to her left forced Syl to remember that being tied down was never a good thing. She turned her head to the side, and saw the vague outline of someone. Someone who was pointing something at her. She blinked rapidly a few times, trying to clear her sight quickly. The outline grew sharper. It was…

"Krit? Why in hell are you pointing a gun at me?"

Krit didn't answer. Another few minutes passed, and Syl's sight cleared almost completely. Now that she could see clearly, she realised it wasn't a normal gun he was pointing at her, it was a tranquilliser dart gun. A tranq gun? Did that mean…

"You shot me with a f-cking tranq gun?! What on earth is going on Krit?"

Krit's eyes flickered over to the bedside table for the briefest moment. Syl looked over at it, and saw a length of cut rope and a pair of syringes. Syl thought she knew what those syringes had held.

"You shot me with a tranq gun, tied me up, and SEDATED me? Krit, you tell me what is going on or so help you god I will murder you with my bare hands."

Krit looked slightly embarrassed. "You, uh… Syl, you kinda went into heat."

Syl blinked. She went into heat? Suddenly, she looked down at herself, and blushed. No wonder Krit was embarrassed.

"You couldn't at least have covered me with something?"

"You wouldn't let me. Even when you were sedated, you moved so much that anything I put over you fell off in the end."

"Can I have something now? Or can you untie me?"

"I guess I can untie you. You've been out for about 24 hours. Star said it didn't usually last longer than that."

"Star said? You've been talking to Star about this?"

"Why do you think I have a tranquilliser gun, Syl? Star told me about a year ago what might happen. She gave me the tranquilliser and sedatives, and told me I should use them when it happened."

As Krit was speaking, he put the gun in the back pocket of his jeans, and came over to the bed. Carefully, he untied Syl's wrists and ankles. As she got up, he pointed to a pile of clothes on the chair next to the bed. Syl grabbed the jeans and shirt and hurriedly pulled them on.

"We didn't… I mean, I didn't do anything to you, did I?"

Krit blushed. "You kissed me. I didn't let you get much further than that."

Syl sighed. "Next time, try and sedate me before I'm down to just underwear, please?"

Krit nodded, and walked around to where she was standing. He threw an arm around her shoulder, and hugged her briefly. Syl turned toward him, placing a gentle hand on his face. He looked weary, like he'd been awake for too many hours. Leaning forward slightly, she pressed her lips against his, and pulled him toward her.

Krit pulled away. "Syl…"

"This is me, Krit. Just me. No wacky hormones, no heat, just me."

Krit gave a tiny smile, and pulled her against his body again. Tilting her head up with one hand, he kissed her hesitantly, as though afraid she'd be the one to pull away this time. Syl was having none of that though, deepening the kiss with a flicker of her tongue against his lips.

Minutes later, they pulled apart. Krit kept one arm around Syl's waist, and cupped her chin in his hand, thumb gently stroking her cheek. He gave her a broad grin.

"So, where to next?"

…

Manticore

Alec didn't sleep well anymore. Every time he closed his eyes, the nightmares plagued him. Hazy nightmares of pain and suffering and of losing something, but when he woke he could never remember just what he had lost. Whatever it was, it hurt to lose it. It hurt a lot.

And so Alec didn't sleep as much anymore. He lay on his bed, and stared at the ceiling night after night. But it was wearing him down. He wasn't like Max and Jondy, he couldn't stay awake for days on end. He needed some sleep. If he didn't get sleep soon, he'd start making a mess of things. Maybe tonight he wouldn't dream. Maybe when he closed his eyes he'd simply fall asleep and wake up the next morning without anything happening in between. Maybe.

_She was standing in front of him, arms by her side, not moving at all. She didn't even so much as give him a smile or nod of hello. She just stood there, unmoving, staring at some point over his shoulder. When he turned to see what it was that she was looking at, a cry sounded behind him. Turning back sharply, he just caught the tip of a whip out of the corner of his eye before it disappeared. Pain shone in Max's eyes, but still she didn't move, didn't do anything. He started to reach out to her, and this time saw the whip snapping out and hitting Max squarely in the back. She didn't cry out this time._

_Every time he moved, every time he so much as twitched, Max received another lashing with the whip. Alec tried hard not to move at all, tried to will himself into complete and utter stillness, but he didn't seem to have complete control of his body any longer. He found himself off balance from the tiniest puff of wind, and every few minutes he sneezed. And every time, the whip came back._

_Alec couldn't tell where the whip came from. Sometimes it appeared from his right, other times from his left. Sometimes it was held high, other times low enough to catch Max across the back of her legs. Never did there seem to be anyone holding onto the end of the whip._

When the last blow sent Max stumbling forward, Alec found himself springing forward to grab the whip. He succeeded, for a moment. He managed to grasp hold of the tip and pull it back toward him. But a shot rang out, and Max screamed, and she was falling, so he let go of the whip and ran to her. But no matter how fast he moved, he couldn't get close to her, couldn't reach her. She was bleeding severely, crying out in pain, and he couldn't help her.

Alec woke with a start. He threw off the sheet covering his now sweat soaked body, and sat on the edge of the bed. The pain was horrifying, and yet even now, just seconds after waking up, he couldn't remember a single solid thing about the dream. He could only remember the pain, and the helplessness. And a sense of immense loss. It made no logical sense.

With a sigh, Alec lay back down on the bed, leaving the covers tangled at the bottom for the moment. One of these days, he would remember just what the nightmares were about. Maybe that would also be the day that he stopped having them.

…

Sacramento

Star and Micah arrived in Sacramento a day later than Star had planned. Her bike, the least powerful machine ever built, had decided to fall apart roughly half way through the trip. Micah was able to fix it, having tinkered with the bike to get it running better in the first place, but it had taken the better part of a day to do so. Star knew she was lucky to have any bike at all, and really she only had it because Micah looked like he was about 16, but that didn't stop her cursing at it when it broke down. Or cursing at the fact that they hadn't been able to afford two bikes.

And so they arrived at Zane's door almost four days after Cass's call for help had come through. Star knocked on the door, and when no one answered quickly enough, she knocked again. She was just about to knock for a third time when a voice called out and told her to just hold on a minute. Five minutes later, the door opened and Tinga motioned for them to come inside and follow her. She led them through the apartment to the bedroom, the only room in the house with any kind of lighting in it.

Star heard Micah gasp from somewhere behind her. The sight in front of her almost made Star gasp as well. Zane was sprawled across the double bed in the middle of the room, skin red and covered in sweat, scratches running up both arms and across his bare chest. On the floor to the right lay a thin mattress, Cass lying half on and half off it, cradling one arm to his chest.

And Tinga, standing at the end of Zane's bed, looked terrible. There were bruises on her jaw and around one eye, cuts across one shoulder and her upper arm, and what looked like scratch marks around both her wrists. The tank top she wore didn't quite cover the edges of a painful looking bruise on her back and uncut shoulder. Tinga looked like she'd not only been dragged through hell, but not been allowed to sleep for weeks on end.

"What happened?" Micah demanded, looking over the three carefully.

"Zane got sick about five or six days ago, we're not exactly sure when. The fever and hallucinations started three or so days ago. Cass and I took it in turns to look after him, hold him down when he started getting really bad. Not quite two days ago, Cass started not feeling well, though, and then during one of Zane's really bad hallucinations, he managed to throw Cass off him and into the doorway. It broke his arm. Cass collapsed last night, and the fever started some time this morning. No hallucinations from him, though."

"What about you? How'd you get hurt?"

"Zane… is pretty forceful. He tends to throw his arms around a lot when he's hallucinating. And somehow he managed to get hold of the knife I'd been using during one of them. Thought I'd been sent to take him back to Manticore."

"The scratches?"

"They both have long nails. And neither likes to be pinned down. Only needed to do that to Cass once, thankfully, when he was having a nightmare. He managed to throw me across the room before I was able to wake him up." Tinga paused for a moment, rubbing at her bruised shoulder. "Zane's scratches, though… I don't know if it's part of the hallucinations or if he really does have the itches. Do you guys know what it is? Did Cass tell you all the symptoms Zane had first? Can we treat it?"

Micah placed a gentle hand on Tinga's shoulder. "Star thought it might be something called tonsillitis. It fit the symptoms Cass told us, mostly, but it doesn't usually get as bad as this. We think… well, we heard some news when we stopped last. Seems there's some new genetically tampered with version of this bug going around. Could be that's what Zane got."

"I thought Manticore made us immune to these kind of things?"

"Only kind of," Star replied. "Mostly, they made us immune to bio warfare, radiation poisoning, that kind of thing. They gave us hyped up immune systems, thinking that would make us immune to all the bugs out in the world. But it doesn't always work. And with genetically modified bugs, our immune systems aren't that much better than the average humans. It doesn't matter, anyway. We bought antibiotics. They should help."

"And if they don't?"

"We'll figure that out later. For now, we need to get these two started on the meds. And you need to sleep, Tinga. Micah and I can look after them."

Tinga nodded, relief visible in her face. "There's a couch in the living room. Just let me show you where some things are, first, and then I'll go sleep there."

"Show Micah where everything is. I'm going to try and get Zane and Cass to take the medication."

As Micah and Tinga left the room, Star moved over to the double bed, and sat down next to Zane. She managed to pull him into the sitting position without any worries, and reached over to pick up the glass of water from the bedside table. As she did so, Zane's head jerked upward, and he tried to pull himself out of Star's grip. Star turned back to him just as his arm swung out, catching her across the jaw. Star ignored the pain, grabbed hold of both of Zane's arms, and pushed him back down onto the bed. She pressed one knee into his thighs, the other pushed into the side of his chest to keep her balance. She held him down until his body was still and his head fell back onto the pillow.

Releasing her hold on Zane, Star got off the bed turned toward the door, where Micah had just entered.

"This could take awhile, Micah."

…


End file.
